Keeping Faith
by Goldendreams257
Summary: [movieverse] Faith finally believed that her life had calmed down after she retreated to a family friend's ranch.  That is until she met someone who had literally fallen from the heavens.  OCs
1. Chapter 1

The trees swayed peacefully in the soft breeze and I took a deep breath of the fresh breeze. The Californian countryside was beautiful with the tall golden grass rubbing my bare arms as I walked through the hills. My dog was bounding beside me, his stub of a tail wagging a mile a minute as he searched through the tall grass for any interesting smells. It was easy to keep an eye on him since his black and brown coat easily stood out against the golden grass. No one would have guessed that he was not even a year old, still a puppy, because he was so large even for a Doberman. I playfully tweaked his pointed ear as he dashed past me, thankful for having him with me in this new place. It had been a hard decision to leave my family and friends to live with Ahearn, a close friend of my family. I had known him practically my whole life and h had become my Popi. Thankfully I was able to take my horses and dog, the only ones who were not damaged in my past life back in the city with my family. I enjoyed taking care of my and Popi's horses but just as I began settling down, Popi announced that he needed to leave for a month. He hadn't wanted to leave me alone on the ranch but he explained to me that he was greatly needed. His nephew was a ranger on a wild horse sanctuary where a herd of extremely rare Nakota horses ran free. Every year the herd was rounded up for veterinary checks and some were auctioned off to keep the herd's number manageable to appease the cattle ranchers bordering the sanctuary. To prevent the horses from being auctioned to meat dealers, Popi helped find them loving homes and had even kept one or two for himself. I was eagerly looking forward to seeing the mustangs that Popi would be bringing home but I was wary about spending so much time alone while he was gone. Of course I never let Popi know of my wariness. After all, I had just graduated high school and celebrated my eighteenth birthday so I was past the brink of adulthood and technically I could take care of myself. At least that was what I had convinced myself. I knew that if I was really ready to move out on my own I wouldn't have so eagerly agreed to coming to live with Popi or had a desperate need to bring my animals with me.

My dog flushed out a small flock of birds, bringing my attention back to present time. I gave a low whistle, one's whose tone was uniquely distinctive to my dog. He came bounding over to me, nudging his wet nose against my hand.

"Leave the poor birds alone, Kobe," I told him as I motioned for him to keep at my side. He dutifully fell into step next to me, his pink tongue lolling out from the side of his mouth. Although he was still a curious and mischievous puppy, he was also smart and devoted. When I was still living with my parents he saved me from getting pummeled by a crazed stallion. The brave puppy had gotten hurt rather badly but he held his own and somehow chased the stallion away. My memory of the incident was hazy since I had been unconscious for most of it. When we had moved to Popi's he yet again proved his merit by defending the horses from a group of teens who had broken into the stable to cruelly abuse the horses inside. There was no doubt that Kobe was more devoted and loving than any future boyfriends could have ever been.

It had been a long day taking care of all the responsibilities that I had found myself holding since Popi had left a few days before. Feeding, watering, grooming, riding, and turning out all five horses. (Normally there were six but Popi had taken his horse, Apache, on the round up and would probably be returning with an addition to the stable) To people who were not used to horses it seemed an easy enough task but the eleven hours of taking care of the horses and the ranch was anything but easy for me. I was amazed at how Popi was able to do it all on his own but then again he only had to take care of a couple of horses before I brought my five. After the last of my chores were done I decided to take Kobe out on a walk with me. The ranch was situated on countless acres but I knew of a peaceful oak grove that was relatively close to the house and stables. We would not be returning until after dark but since Kobe was with me I wasn't afraid. When most people would have been fearful stepping beneath of the oak groves just as dusk was setting in, I was completely at home.

Suddenly Kobe began whining at my side. He looked up at me with his big puppy dog eyes, begging me to let him go chase some rabbit that he had caught sent of. I ruffled his ears and made a flicking motion with my hand, giving him my permission to run off. Like a bullet he was off and running through the trees. I had only come to the grove once before and I hadn't come even close to exploring all of its expanses. I felt that it was more of a miniature forest than a little grove especially now that I was alone with the exception of my dog. I stared up in wonder at how the ancient oaks, that were well over a hundred years old, were strong and stood over fifty feet high. The dull brown bark of the trees was rough and cracked with age, Spanish moss hanging from the thick boughs. The branches bridged together creating a mosaic of brown, green, and what should have been blue. Disintegrating rays of sunlight glided through the branches and trunks to give the brush beneath the trees a final burst of light. There was a great thrashing noise as a rabbit dashed across my path with Kobe close behind. I rolled my eyes and gave a short blast of a whistle, one that Kobe couldn't ignore. He halted so fast that he nearly somersaulted. Dragging his paws in the leaves he sulked his way over to me.

"Troublemaker," I muttered with a playful smile. Immediately the Doberman seemed to forget how I reined him in from his fun as he plodded along beside me. I knew that one day his curious and playful nature would get him, and probably me, way in over our heads. Pushing the thought from my mind I submersed myself in the beauty surrounding us and soon I found myself in my own little world. Without warning there was an enormous crash and the ground was shaking harder than any earthquake I had ever experienced and that was saying a lot since I had grown up in earthquake central. I was knocked to the ground and cringed as I waited for the trees to fall on top of me. Sooner than it felt, everything calmed down but it took me a while to shakily get onto my feet. I could faintly smell the scent of burning cinder and grass. Once I was on my feet I looked around me for Kobe. My heart froze when I realized that he had somehow slipped away without my realizing it. There was a sudden yelp intermixed with what sounded like metal being banged upon metal. Even if there wasn't for the obviousness of it, I knew that something was horribly wrong; Kobe had never yelped before even when he was beneath the rampaging hooves of the stallion. He never let on to his pain so I knew that something was extremely wrong if he was yelping. Desperately I began searching around for Kobe's sleek black coat but he was no where in sight. Soon I was yelling through the trees, calling out his name. Each time I heard his yelp my heart froze and I became even more frenzied in my search. I did my best to try and ignore the violent metallic sounds that seemed to have been coming from the same direction of Kobe's yelps.

"Kobe! Kobe, where are you?!" I screamed. Standing still, I listened intently and the moment that I heard his howl I took off running in that direction.

My feet sped faster than I ever thought that they could. It was nearly impossible for me to keep from falling when the ground began sloping downward into a valley that was hidden in the center of the woods. I tripped, falling hard to the ground at the bottom of the slope. Paralyzed with disbelief I saw with horror Kobe sprawled out in a heap in the grass. There was an enormous smoking crater in the center of the valley but Kobe was far on the other side and seemed untouched by whatever had fallen. I found myself breaking through my paralysis and running toward my fallen dog. Skidding to halt I fell next to him. Kobe's breaths were shallow and labored, his sleek black coat marred with gashes and blood. Tears streamed down my cheeks and dropped onto the Doberman.

"Hold on baby boy, just hold on" I whispered to him. Suddenly a large shadow slid over us, its creator towering above. I stared around in confusion at the shadow that covered me and I had no idea what could cause it. Slowly I turned around, having to squint to see since the sun's ebbing light silhouetted the form above me. Red and black metal twisted around to form a pair of enormous legs and feet. My gaze paned upward, taking fearful note of the glowing cannon-like barrels on what appeared to be its arms. The robot stood over twenty feet tall and its red eyes were glowering down at me with disgust. My hand took a deadly grip on Kobe's leather collar as I fought with myself on what to do. There was no such thing as giant robots, let alone giant robots who were in the middle of Californian countryside. A smirk appeared on the robots face as it began lifting its foot to step on Kobe and me. Since the dog was far too heavy for me to carry, I covered him with my body in an illogical attempt to save him.

"Go away!" I screamed as the robot's foot was coming closer to me. There was an enormous crash and a thick cloud of dust covered the ground, pieces of golden glass flying everywhere. My eyes stung but I refused to look away from the black and silver foot that had lashed out in front of me.

"You heard the girl, go away," a voice said from above me. The voice was calm and a bit cocky but it sounded as if it was an echo in a metal room. The red and black robot scowled but before he could aim his guns, the robot who had saved me from being crushed leapt forward, sending both robots slamming to the ground. An enormous battle, at least to me, began with metal twisting and contorting so much that I could not tell what belonged to who. Realizing that this was the only chance that I had to get away I began pulling at Kobe, begging him to get up. The dog tried but each time he fell to the ground. With no other choice, I wrapped on arm around his chest while the other was around his rear. Using every ounce of strength I lifted the large dog up, my arm's muscles screaming out in protest. I stumbled forward, desperate to keep my balance despite the shaking ground beneath my feet. Somehow I made it up the embankment and then behind a large oak tree. With Kobe safely hidden, I peered out from behind the tree to see the ensuing battle. It seemed like the robot that had saved me had somewhat of an advantage as it was on its feet the most while the other robot was frequently thrown to the ground. My mouth was open in awe as I stared in amazement at how they fought, especially the fighting style of my savior. It moved with fluid gracefulness as he dodged blows and it was as agile as an Olympic gymnast. The two combatants yelled at each other frequently in a language I didn't understand. From what I got though, the silver robot was egging on the red one; this just caused the red robot to become angrier and angrier which surprised me because I would never have guessed that robots had emotions.

I was terrified when the red robot threw the silver one to the ground and fired several shots into his legs. The silver robot let out a scream that was completely inhuman. I gasped when the red one stood over his fallen opponent, talking in the strange language as his weapons glowed threateningly. The robot who had saved me was completely immobile and at the mercy of the other. My savior was making loud noises that hinted at his pain but for some reason he looked over in my direction. I didn't think he saw me but after he looked over to the tree where I was hidden, he leaped forward as a large metal blade emerged from the top of his wrist. It plunged into the center of the red robot's chest, both of them screaming out in pain. Slowly the red robot sank to the ground, a strange liquid oozing from his wounds. The surviving robot fell heavily to the ground, grunting in the bizarre language. I was tempted to come out from behind the tree but I didn't want to leave Kobe and to put it simply I was scared shitless. Not sure what to do, I peeked out from behind the tree and into the valley. The silver robot was struggling to stand on its greatly damaged legs but what unnerved me were the lights that were emitting from its eyes. The lights were scanning the tree line, possibly in search of me, and before they revealed me I ducked out of sight. I knelt down, balancing on my knees and balls of my feet, with my back pressed against the rough bark of the tree. Kobe rested against me, softly whimpering in pain. I prayed that the robot would go far away so I could get my dog home. With my arms wrapped tightly around the Doberman I felt him stiffen up as well as the growl that shook his pained body. I easily knew what was causing Kobe to growl but when I was turning around to look behind me I was hoping that I was wrong. The enormous metallic body of the robot was knelt on one knee on the other side of the tree. I stifled a scream as I turned away, praying that it would just go away. I would have been running in a heartbeat if it hadn't been for Kobe. After all the dog had done for me, I wasn't about to just abandon him no matter how terrified I was. The robot grunted in what seemed a mixture of amusement, annoyance, and pain.

"I'm not going to hurt you" it told me calmly. I wondered for a moment how it knew English when it had just been speaking some other foreign language. I hadn't heard it approach but I heard it shift so it could see me around the tree. I scrambled to my feet and dragged Kobe with me so that we remained out of sight. The robot growled in annoyance and quickly shifted the other direction, sparks flying with the sudden movement. Once again I dragged Kobe so that we were safe out of line of vision. But the robot proved that just because my dog and I were out of its sight, we weren't safe. Two large dark grey hands emerged from either side of the tree and interlocked in front of me. The hands were slightly shorter than me but they had deep scratches, seemingly from battle. Unlike human hands there were only three fingers and what appeared to be a thumb on each hand and instead of knuckles there were gears that had wires running through them. Kobe growled even louder, the fur along his spine raising.

"Now you've got nowhere to go," it said coyly. "So will you come out so I can prove that you'll come to no harm? What's the Earth phrase?" There was a pause as if the robot was thinking. "Ah, yes. Will you _please_ come out?" it said, answering its own question. Unknowingly it had answered one of the questions I had thought of but would never have had voiced; if this thing was unsure of _Earth_ phrases than it obviously wasn't from this world. I mentally hit myself in the head. Of course this thing wasn't from Earth because there was no possible way it could have been. The hands began moving towards me, forcing us into either the tree or toward the robot. Kobe whimpered as he rose to his feet as we were pushed out from behind the tree. We kept backing up away from the hands and I let out a short cry when my stumbled over the metal foot.

"Hey, easy there" I was told. I felt like one of the mustangs that Popi would bring home and that the robot was trying to talk me into calming down just as I would with the horses. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the comparison that popped into my head but it was pretty obvious who was the superior and authoritative one between the robot and I. I turned around and stared up the enormous being kneeling above me. It shifted slightly back so it could get a better look at me. Lasers shot from what I perceived as its eyes, moving up from my feet to me head. Again I would have run away if it wasn't for leaving Kobe behind and the fact that the hands could easily catch me.

"Despite a few cuts you're functional. But your heartbeat is extremely rapid and your perspiration is high" The voice was now becoming familiar but it was bizarre for me to hear the metallic quality. I had no idea what I was dealing with especially since some sort of visor or mask covered its features except for its glowing blue eyes. The robot cocked its head to the side as if being able to read my thoughts. The mask lifted up and folded away into the contours of the head. The features that I was staring at were kind of human. I could discern two optics that resembled eyes, a nose, and even a mouth but all were distinctly robotic. The robot seemed to sense that I was studying it and it remained completely still to let me do so. It looked as if it was studying me too as shutters expanded and contracted around its optics. Suddenly a great pained expression crossed its face. It winced and asked if I was going to try and run away. I shook my head, feebly telling him that I wouldn't. Accepting my answer the silver robot sank backwards to sit down. It then ignored me and turned its full attention on its injuries although I saw it glance every once in a while over to me.

Keeping to my word, I didn't dare run away. After watching it kill a fellow robot I knew I wouldn't have stood a chance. As I watched the robot use lasers to examine its body, I became curious. It eyed me when I took several cautious steps forward. Soon I was close enough to reach out and touch him.

"Don't come any closer to the fluid. I don't know how humans would react to it" it warned preventing me from coming any closer. It was then that I knew that I could trust the robot at least a little bit. Kobe whined softly and I walked the short distance back to him. As I knelt down stroking him I watched the robot. Its build was tall and a bit thin but it still possessed a certain solidness. His whole body was a mesh of metal and wiring that somehow resembled a man's frame. Even his feet were bizarre to me and there would have been no way for me to describe them. Thinking about its voice I realized that it had masculinity to it and if robots did have genders than this one was probably a male.

"How bad are you hurt?" I warily asked. The robot turned his head towards me, a fleeting smile crossing his features.

"Nothing I can't get over" he told me confidently. There was a lapse of silence before I ventured my next question.

"Who…what are you?"

"I'm called Quicksilver. I'm a warrior and sniper for the Autobots from the planet Cybertron. The Autobots and Decepticons have been at war with each other for well over a millennia and a small group from each side came here in search of an object called the Allspark. It was found and then destroyed along with the leader of the Decepticons. The Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, sent out a message offering all Autobots shelter here on Earth. I answered the call but I'm a bit late on getting the good action" I was speechless for quite some time, letting the summary sink in a bit. It was hard to believe that aliens, especially twenty five foot tall ones, were present on our planet and I was completely oblivious to it. A slew of questions ran through my mind and I was having a hard time deciding which ones to ask or if I could even ask any more questions. Quicksilver once again glanced over at me as he was fiddling with his wounds. Every once in a while there would be a spark accompanied by a grimace. He was completely covered with damage, from simple dents to what seemed pretty major wounds on his legs.

"So, who are the good guys and who are the bad?" I ventured. There was a possibility that the robot would be lying when he gave his answer but I wasn't exactly in any position to challenge him.

"Autobots are what you refer to as 'the good guys'. You probably don't know but Prime saved your whole species and planet from Decepticons"

"So that other robot you were fighting…"

"Was a Decepticon," Quicksilver finished for me. "My guess is that it caught signs of my incoming ship and decided to try and finish it off. Didn't know who he was reckoning with though" The robot gave a cocky expression that I recognized as a smile.

"How do you know English?"

"I downloaded every language from the world wide web. It was a bit of a trip here so I caught up on all of my Earth culture"

"How many of you are here?" Now that I knew Quicksilver would answer my questions it was easier to talk to him. He seemed to appreciate my change in attitude as he gave an approving smile. The robot focused his attention on his injured leg yet still easily answered my questions even though he would give out a groan or grunt of pain every once in a while.

"Not many. I am almost positive that I'm the first to arrive on the planet besides Optimus and his original team"

"Where are they?" Quicksilver paused and a sullen expression passed over his face.

"Now that, is a good question that I'm hoping to find the answer to. That great brute damaged my navigation and communication processors before I could lock onto my companions' position"

"But you can communicate with me and you can look things up on the Internet" I pondered, somewhat confused.

"My audio is separate from my communication processors and it would take too long to navigate the Internet to get a fix on the other Autobots"

Finally I came up with the question that was weighing most heavily on my mind and despite my newfound confidence I was still wary about asking it. Quicksilver was flexing his hands, arms, and a bit of his legs when I finally rediscovered my voice.

"Why are you telling me all this? You just met me and for all you know I could call the media or government and tell them that you're here" It was a bit shaky and I asked the question so softly that I wasn't sure if he would hear. There was a circle on the side of his head that was raised a bit and had strange markings. They whirled a bit and I realized that they served as his ears. Finally Quicksilver turned to look at me, his optics narrowing slightly. At first I thought it was because I had finally gone too far but then I realized he was staring at how I was still holding Kobe close to me.

"I don't think you'll betray me. You risked your life for that…" he paused as he scanned Kobe and, by my guess, looked him up on the Internet, "dog. I've processed a lot of data on humans and I realized that the devoted nature you show for that dog reveals you to one of the more compassionate members of your species. That and I saved your life so you owe me" Once again I was quiet because I knew that what he said was true. At least about my not betraying him since I was not only the kind of person who took pride in loyalty but also he was completely right in the fact that I owed him. If it wasn't for Quicksilver, Kobe and I would have looked like a bug that flew into a windshield.

"Now I have my own questions," the metallic voice declared, ripping me from my thoughts. I mentally prepared myself as the alien turned his full attention over to me.

"All right. Shoot" It was probably the wrong choice of words because the Autobot looked at me in confusion. He was silent as he searched the web and then a knowing, and amused, expression crossed his face when he found the definition of the slang term. Putting aside his new found discovery he became serious.

"Is there any secluded shelter that would accommodate my size that is close by? This atmosphere is new to me but I sense that it is rapidly changing and there's heavy precipitation in the air. I don't know about Earth metal, but Cybertronian metal does not mix very well with water"

"The ranch that I live on has a large barn. It may be a bit cramped but I'm sure that there'd be enough room for you"

"As you probably realize, it's important that I remain hidden from the rest of the humans but there is also the problem that I'm no shape to travel long distances"

"Not a problem. We're on the ranch right now and the barn is within walking distance. The closest neighbors aren't for miles" Quicksilver was quiet as he thought over what I had just told him. He nodded his approval and prepared himself for the great feat of standing up. Just before he was about to though, he looked over at me.

"My last question…at least for now. What are you called?" he asked with genuine interest.

"My name is Faith Abraham. And this is my dog, Kobe"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers but Quicksilver, Faith, and Kobe are mine**

**AN: First off, I'm so freakin' happy with how this story is being recieved on this website. I honestly wasn't sure if anyone was going to like it which is why it took so long for me to post it. Secondly, I just want to give a warning now that **_**I tend to use profanities...a lot.**_** I've been trying to stop cold turkey after I accidentally said shit in front of my best friend's religious dad. Well, I'm still trying to figure out this whole Fanfiction thing out so sorry if things come out a little weird. So a few quick things. 1) The only thing I know about the whole Transformers thing is from the movie and watching the Armada series so I'm sorry if I get something wrong. I'd love it if someone corrected me as long as they don't go like, 'you dipshit you have no idea what you're talking about' type of thing. That's just mean and will make me cry. Ok, so continuing this novel of an author's note, 2) I just wanted to explain Popi's name real fast. In my family, at least the Puerto Rican side, we refer to grandfatherly figures as Popi and grandmotherly figures as Mommy. And Popi's real name is Ahearn which means horse lover or something like that, for those who were interested. 3) I absolutely adore horses and I have two of my own who I love to death. I'd love to have horses in this story but I don't want to overdo it, so if anyone has any opinions on the matter, I'd really appreciate it: ) Especially since when horsepeople start talking about horses, it kinda tends to sound as if they are talking in a whole other language. That's what made writing the first paragraph of this story so hard. So for the non-horsey people, I did a quick 'glossary'. Oh, and if you are against horses being ridden then I don't suggest you reading this story. sorry, to keep this author's note going but a quick note; the majority of horses absolutely love the rain. my real horse, Taffy, will actually stand out in the pouring rain happily gettting completely soaked even though she has a nice warm stall.**

**Horse dictionary!!**

_**stall**_**- a horsey sized indoor area that horses live in. some stalls have four walls and then one door that allows the horses to be taken out (aka box stalls) while others have the four walls but then two doors, one which leads out to a fenced-in outdoor area for the horse. the horse can go from the stall to their outdoor area freely (aka, in and out stalls). in this story, the stalls are box stalls**

_**horse supplements, vitamins, and grains**_**- this, usually tasty, stuff is fed to the horses to keep them healthy**

_**bridle**_**- this has the metal piece called a bit that goes in the horse's mouth. its used to steer the horses when they're being ridden (the bit **_**does not**_** hurt the horses as long as its used correctly)**

_**saddle**_**- I'm really hoping people know what this is but in case someone doesn't, its the thingy that goes on the horse's back that you sit in when riding**

_**saddle pad**_**- a pad/ small blanket that goes under the saddle and protects the horse's back from getting any sores from the saddle**

_**horse tack**_**- pretty much anything used to ride and take care of a horse. bridles, bits, saddles, brushes, etc. 'tacking up' means getting a horse ready to be ridden**

_**trailer**_**- the thing that transports horses around**

_**Dutch doors**_**- the door is cut in half and the top portion can be opened while the bottom remains closed or vice versa.**

_**halter**_**- this goes on the horse's head when its not being ridden. it doesn't have a bit.**

_**lead rope**_**- a rope that attaches to the halter so you can lead the horse around**

_**blankets**_**- yup, horses can have their own blankets. The most common design is that it stretches from their chest to their butt, but doesn't cover their legs, and it has straps and buckles to keep it on them. Think of a giant horsey jacket.**

_**pastures**_**- broad expanses of empty grassland. some pastures are just made out of dirt but in this story its all grass with some trees and a creek.**

_**Friesian**_**- a breed of horse. the majority of them look like how i describe later in the story. if you've ever seen **_**The Mask of Zorro**_** and **_**The Legend of Zorro,**_** the horse that Antonia Banderas rides is a Friesian**

_**stallion**_**- a horse who isn't nuetered (aka gelded). he can make babies**

_**forelock**_**- the long hair between the horse's ears that covers their foreheads**

_**mane**_**- the long hair that grows along their necks**

_**spook­- **_**a sudden movement a horse does when they get scared. Usually it involves them making a quick jumping movement and/or running away. When it comes to describing horses, this is ****not**** a deragatory term. i would never refer to anyone as a spook. when it comes to horses, this word is a verb, not a noun.**

_**barn name**_**- a shortened version of the horse's real name. for example, one of my horse's real name is Encore but his barn name is Georgie and the name I use at shows for my other horse is Golden Dreams but her barn name is Taffy**

**Wow, that was a lot longer than I expected it to be but hopefully this helped out any confusion and didn't add to it. **

The stables were calm and peaceful which was the reason I always retreated to them when I felt stressed and that it was the perfect place for Quicksilver. The stable was an enormous rectangle that stretched about one hundred feet long, forty feet across, and just over thirty feet high at the peak of the roof. There were large double doors at both the North and Southern end. On one side there were ten large horse stalls while across the rubber-matted barn aisle were two rooms, one small and one medium sized. The small room, the feed room, was an organized chaos filled with buckets and containers that held the horses' supplements, vitamins, and grains. The medium-sized room served as a place to keep all of the saddles, bridles, and other horse tack in addition to being a lounge with a plush sofa, television, and a desk with a computer. The walls were covered with ancient pictures of champion horses and the ribbons and trophies that they had earned. To the right of the rooms was an enormous empty space about sixty feet long and twenty feet in width. When Popi designed the stable so many years ago he had wanted to use it to store huge amounts of hay but when a mysterious spark ignited the hay and nearly burned down the stable, Popi decided to build a shelter to house the hay that was a safe distance from the stable. Nowadays we used the empty space to store the trailer and tractor since there were two enormous sliding doors that opened up in the back of the space that allowed us to easily get the cumbersome equipment out. The doors were about fifteen feet high, thirty feet wide, and situated in the middle of the empty area of the stable. The best part of the stable, at least in my opinion, was the horse stalls. The thick walls were made of dark wood that was so smooth that there was no chance the horses could get a splinter. In all of the stalls, three of the walls had windows large enough for a horse to fit his head and neck through; it allowed them to visit with each other and look outside the stable. The bottom of the Dutch doors were wooden while the top portion of the doors were metal bars; all of the occupied stalls had the top of the doors latched open so that the horses could peer out whenever they wanted to. Metal placards were mounted on each door, the occupant's name etched out in an elegant scroll. Hooks were attached next to the doors and holding the horse's halter and lead rope. The five horses in the stable were contentedly munching their dinner and didn't pay me any heed when I opened the enormous doors behind the empty space.

Before the alien came in however, I moved all of the horses outside to the pastures after I put their waterproof blankets on to keep them from being chilled by the mist outside. There wasn't enough mist or rain to bother them and it in fact was good for them to be out in the rain. As long as they had protective covering, which all of the pastures did, the horses were perfectly content. At least most of them. One of my horses, Spitfire, despised water in any kind of form so it took some urging to get him out of the stable and into the mist. Once he was in the pasture with three of my other horses, he made a bee line for the covering which housed his fresh hay. Besides Spitfire, the horses certainly didn't mind the unexpected except for the brief time I had to take their hay away to move it outside. Quicksilver had settled himself in the large empty space. His back was against the Southern wall while his legs were outstretched in front of him. He was fascinated with his new surroundings, looking around with wide optics and reaching out to feel the smooth wood that made up the building.

"What kind of creatures are kept in here?" he asked me as he peered into the stall across the barn aisle from where he was sitting. I had witnessed countless times when horses went mad with fear and there was no doubt in my mind that the horses would have killed themselves with trying to escape Quicksilver if they had seen him. It was an experience that I wanted to avoid for all of our sakes.

"Horses. We have eight here but Popi is off getting some more" A puzzled expression crossed his face as the thought over my answer. The robot kept studying the stable as I moved around trying to find some blankets for Kobe. I was more than thankful that Quicksilver had carried him back. Once in the stable, the Doberman was fast asleep in a corner of the lounge that he had limped over to. I didn't know much about dog anatomy but I loved my loyal boy and wouldn't have been at ease until I knew that he would be all right. Having gathered the blankets and arranged them to make a comfortable bed in the corner that the dog had chosen, I began searching through the bookcase that was in the lounge. They were primarily horse books but since it seemed tradition to have a ranch dog, Popi had several dog veterinary books in his collection. Finally I found what I needed, a dusty old volume that must have been at least forty years old. Running back to the Kobe's corner, my heart stopped when I saw that he wasn't there. I dashed from the lounge and into the barn aisle in search of the Doberman.

"He's over here" I looked over to Quicksilver and saw Kobe curled up next to what would have been a hip if the robot was compared to a human. The mech was staring down at the dog, his curiosity doubled.

"Oh, Kobe, don't be bothering him," I muttered as I walked over to the dog. The Doberman raised his head, his ears down and pointed outwards. He didn't want to move.

"He's not a nuisance if that is your concern"

"Are you sure?" I questioned, doubtful. Quicksilver nodded his head and explained.

"There was no organic life on Cybertron. This planet is abundant in it and the more I encounter, the more I wish to study it" I sat down next to Kobe, my hand resting on his black haunch.

"If you say so. If there's anything you need, let me know, all right?"

"I appreciate your offer but I doubt that you would be able to aid me in fixing my injuries" It was somewhat funny to think how polite he was. I shrugged my shoulders as I turned my attention back to Kobe. I identified the seriousness of the dog's injuries using the book and then set to work cleaning his wounds. I gave a quiet prayer when I found that there was nothing worse than some deep gashes and some seriously sore muscles. As I cleaned the dog's wounds and wrapped them in bandages I felt someone watching me. Quicksilver's green optics were glued to me, the puzzled expression still on his face. Not sure what else to do, I continued with Kobe. If Quicksilver had a question then I would answer it but I needed to take care of my dog.

"May I analyze him?" I was finally asked. I frowned and told him he could as long as he didn't hurt Kobe.

"No, the scan will be completely harmless" he told me with a smile as if that fact was obvious. Feeling slightly embarrassed I gave him the go ahead. I jumped when green lasers shot from Quicksilver's eyes and ran over Kobe's body. When the lights finished playing over Kobe, they paused and then went over me. I froze for a moment and then I scrambled away.

"What are you doing!?" I cried out feeling extremely violated. The lights vanished and Quicksilver frowned.

"I didn't think you would mind"

"Well, yeah, I do mind" There was a long pause before either of us spoke again. "What did you see?"

"I thought you were angered with me for making the scan"

"I'm not mad, I could have just used a warning or something. Doesn't mean I'm not curious about what you found"

"You humans are completely illogical and far too curious for your own good" His remark made me scowl and put me on my guard.

"It's not like you're any better. I mean, you can't call me overly curious when you just scanned me without my permission to satisfy _your_ curiosity" Quicksilver narrowed the shutters over his eyes, seemingly glaring at me. He sat straight so that he was no longer leaning against the wall. Instinctively I grabbed Kobe's collar, dragging him to his feet while I stepped back, all of this in one fluid motion. I was suddenly regretting my decision of helping Quicksilver. My heart began hammering when he began reaching a large grey hand towards me. Sensing my panic Kobe began growling, his hackles rising. But instead of taking me up in its iron-like vice and crushing me to death as I expected it would, the hand unfolded so that the palm was up. The fingers curled slightly, ushering me to step onto the outstretched hand. I shook my head and took another step back. Although he was still injured, Kobe put himself between me and Quicksilver.

"We are not exactly in any position _not_ to trust one another" the mech told me coolly. The words struck me because I knew that what he said was the truth. Very slowly and cautiously I stepped forward until I was standing on the hand. Quicksilver moved his hand very precisely and gracefully so that I wouldn't lose my balance. He raised me up so that I was directly in front of his face. I could feel my eyes widen as I noticed the details that I wouldn't have been able to notice from the ground. Strange hieroglyphic-like writing was etched on the sides and several tiny sporadic ones beneath his left optic. The optics themselves were not of one single solid color but rather a myriad of different shades of green, shimmering and pixelating as I was analyzed.

"I swear upon Primus, the Matrix, and the Autobot cause, the beliefs whose importance to me are greater than my very life, that _I will not hurt you_" The last part he emphasized slowly, annunciating each word carefully yet with an unnerving determination. I don't think that there was any possible way to not believe him. "And if you were to ever feel that I was a threat to you, my spark is my most vulnerable area. The armor beneath my chest is easily pierced, even by Earth weapons" With his other hand Quicksilver pulled aside several sheaths of metal over his chest to reveal a brilliant blue light hidden deep inside. When he saw that his point was made, he covered his spark and put me down. Kobe was more confused than ever by the rising and ebbing tension.

"Why did you tell me about your spark?" Quicksilver smirked and leaned heavily against the wall. For the first time I saw a hint of his weariness.

"I told you before, you have proven to me to be trustworthy and to gain your trust I needed to make you feel more at ease"

"By telling me how to kill you?" I asked skeptically.

"If that's what it takes"

Quicksilver and I seemed to have reached an understanding. I puttered around the stable while the enormous robot continued working on his injuries. The few times I glanced over at him, I could make no sense of his actions. Quicksilver noticed my awe of him and seemed to take pride in it although he never said anything. I was just coming out of the feed room when Quicksilver announced that my status was fatigued.

"Shouldn't you be going into your nightly hibernation?" I couldn't help rolling my eyes. I was legally an adult and yet someone was always around to get on me about going to bed. But his question made me come up with my own.

"Do you sleep?" Quicksilver frowned slightly as he processed what I said.

"My kind does not sleep as yours does but there are a great number of similarities from your version of sleep and ours. Every once in a while I must go off-line to recharge but it is not routine. It is most common though after vigorous circumstances"

"So that's a yes" I concluded as I began walking to the Northern stable doors. Having regained something of his energy, Kobe followed me with a bad limp. I bid Quicksilver good night and then paused at the light switch. Normally I would leave it off but I didn't know if I should with Quicksilver. I asked him and he told me that it was all right with him if the lights were turned off.

"I have nocturnal vision so you needn't worry"

As I walked away from the barn with Kobe close behind, I was unsure if there really was a giant alien robot recharging in my barn. I knew the moment that I saw the robots fighting that my life was changed forever but I still wondered that if when I woke up the next morning, I would just realize that it had all been a dream.

The horses were already fed and taken care of. They were happy to be outside in the now warmer weather and the rain from the previous night had made them energetic. Spitfire was the only unhappy one for having been put out in the rain in the first place. When I went to take his blanket off, he always found a way to remain just out of reach. It was a bizarre dance but what the horse didn't know was that I had a secret weapon. The moment he saw me pull out the apple, he trotted over to me and contentedly munched away as I took the blanket off of him. Whoever said blakmail doesn't work on horses? Loaded with so many horse blankets that I was on the brink of not being able to see over all of them, I made my way to the barn. Balancing the cumbersome load I opened the Northern stable door and flicked on the lights, curious as to what I would find. With a good night's sleep and a puppy's body, Kobe dashed into the barn. All of his bandages lay in a chewed up heap in my room; the puppy had had them off within the hour when we had gone to bed. Kobe ran into the middle of the barn aisle and looked around as if searching for something. I sighed, shaking my head chiding myself that Quicksilver could not have been anything but a bizarre dream. With the blankets still in my arms I made my way over to the lounge where I promptly dumped all of the blankets onto the couch. It took a while to untangle the blankets and then folded them into squares that would easily place them through the bars that were attached to the outside of each of the stalls. With the now folded blankets I began walking down the aisle, putting the blankets in their places but when I came to the third stall, where I could see the normally empty area, I froze. Quicksilver was in plain sight as he was slumped over with his uninjured knee raised up and wrist laid out across it. His hand was dangling as he was leaning into the corner, the shutters over his eyes closed. He was completely still and if I didn't know any better I would have thought him as a movie prop or some sort of inanimate object. Figuring that I wasn't going to disturb him I continued putting the blankets over the bars. There was a large arena outside, to the west of the stable. I began gathering my saddle, saddle pad, bridle, and brushes so that I could get the horses to be ridden outside in the arena. Normally I would have tacked them up in the stable but I couldn't do that with Quicksilver there. Before I went out to the pastures to get the first horse that needed to be ridden, I went back into the stable to check on Kobe. I was somewhat surprised when I went into the lounge and didn't find him on the couch like I normally would. It didn't take me long though to find him with Quicksilver.

The silver mech was awake and watching the Doberman race around the stable. The young dog had grabbed one of his squeaky toys and began trying to coax Quicksilver to play with him. Kobe had his front end lowered as if he was laying down but his butt was high in the air, his stubby tail wagging like crazy. He was gnawing on the toy while keeping his hazel eyes completely focused on Quicksilver. Whenever the mech would reach out toward Kobe, the dog would bound just out of reach.

"What's he doing?" Quicksilver asked when he noticed me.

"He's playing with you. If you ever get a hold of the toy, and its so gross and soggy that I don't know if you'd really want to, then you'll toss it so he could chase it and bring it back to you so you can throw it again. Its a never ending cycle"

"And he enjoys this?" Quicksilver looked at me skeptically. I shrugged my shoulders. "This dog is illogical" he muttered as Kobe pranced just out of reach with the toy. The squeaker had long been broken in the purple banana toy but the Doberman loved it more than life itself. "I am having trouble understanding how he was barely able to walk yesterday but today he's running around despite his injuries" Again, my only response was to shrug my shoulders. I loved Kobe to death and he was the most loyal dog in the world but there was no figuring the guy out. Quicksilver watched Kobe who pranced around with a slight limp, waving his toy up in the air for the whole world to see. There was no doubt that Kobe was still a puppy.

"If he doesn't quit this, I'm going to have to tie him up," I muttered to myself.

"That may be a good idea because his injuries are no where near healed enough for him to be straining himself like this" I thought that I had said my comment quietly enough for Quicksilver not to hear me and it more than surprised me that he not only heard but responded. His blue optics never left the dog who had come back to taunt the silver mech.

The day went by quietly and held a surreal sense to it. I took care of my chores which included riding four of the horses. Since I didn't want them to see Quicksilver, I saddled them outside in the arena. None of the horses had any idea that there was a giant alien robot in their stable or why I kept their rides so short. After two hours I was leading the last horse, Relampago, back to the pasture. The large stallion was a Friesian, whose coat was pitch black. His wavy forelock went well past his eyes and his mane was at least two feet long. The ebony tail was so long that I had to braid it to keep the stallion from stepping on it and pulling the hairs out. Relampago was an insanely beautiful horse, one that little girls and boys dream of owning one day. He picked his hooves up from the ground delicately and each movement he made was fluid, making him look as if he was dancing rather than just simply walking. When we passed the Southern end of the stable, he froze. He raised his mighty head high, his nostrils dilating as he took in a deep breath. The hazel eyes were bright with curiosity as they lay partly hidden behind the black veil. I had no idea how he had taken note of Quicksilver, but he had. I prayed that he wouldn't spook because there would have been no way of my controlling the stallion because of his immense size and strength. However Relampago seemed to suddenly remember the fresh grass in the pastures and focused his attention in another direction. Thankful, I began leading the stallion back to the pasture with no further incidence.

Kobe was impatiently waiting for me at the door having long abandoned his purple banana and attempt to getting Quicksilver to play with him. The Autobot was leaning against a different wall than when I had last left him. He watched me approach him with great curiosity.

"That black creature you had with you earlier, it was a horse right?" he asked as he shifted himself into a more comfortable position.

"He's a Friesian and his name is Relampago de los Cielos but his barn name is Pago" The stable was quiet as Quicksilver scoured the internet. A slow smile spread across his features.

"Relampago de los Cielos" Quicksilver pondered over the name and then began reading aloud what he was researching. "It means _Heaven's Lightning _in Spanish Very poetic. And the Friesian horse was used by human warriors, called knights, centuries ago to fight in battle. The horses were used as a weapon of sorts" I nodded my head in affirmation but when he asked his next question I began shaking my head.

"Do you fight using the horses?"

"No way. I take care of them and every once in a while I'll take them to a horse show. I'd never do anything to endanger the horses"

"You love them" Quicksilver made me freeze with his words. He said it so simply, just stating the facts.

"Yeah. They have been there for me when no one else has. It's hard to take care of them, but it's more than worth it" I walked over to Kobe's toy so I could get it out of the way but when the Doberman saw me pick it up, he decided that it was an invitation to play. I groaned as he came galloping up to me. It was not the time to play but at the same time I didn't have the heart to tell him no. I dropped it, trying to ignore him as I went into the lounge to clean up in there but the dog was persistent. When I came out he was still following me, nudging the slobbery purple fur he held in his mouth against my hand. I looked around in exasperation in hopes of finding something to distract the dog. Finally my eyes focused on Quicksilver. He cocked his head slightly to the side as if knowing that I was plotting something.

"You have lasers, right?" I asked, walking up to him.

"Yes" he hesitantly responded.

"Do you have different kinds?"

"Several"

"Do you have a pointer? One that won't do any harm"

"Yes, but I don't understand why you want to know" I held up my index finger, bidding him to wait as I disappeared into the feed room. Searching around for the small flashlight, I explained to the very confused mech.

"Kobe has this really weird obsession with lights. He likes laser pointers better but I'll show you with the flashlight. Can you see in the dark?"

"I can activate my nocturnal vision, so yes" With that, I flicked off the lights and turned on my flashlight. There was a scurry of nails against rubber matting and a dark shadow came running at the spot of light on the floor. I began flicking the light around so that Kobe was chasing it all over the barn. After a couple of minutes I turned the flashlight off and flicked the light switch on. Quicksilver had a dumbfounded look on his mechanical face.

"That was…interesting"

"Do you get what I'm trying to ask you?" The silver mech nodded his head as a blue laser shot from his shoulder and onto the ground. Kobe immediately latched onto it. The Doberman crouched to the ground and began taking very deliberate and careful steps toward the laser. Within several yards from it, he leaped up into the air and landed on the little blue dot. After a couple of seconds he lifted his big paws to see if he caught his prey. The moment he went to look, the laser darted away. Kobe followed in hot pursuit as the tiny blue dot zipped around the stable. I stood against the wall, watching with amusement. Quicksilver had a bizarre expression on his face that I could only guess was baffled amusement.

**AN: Lol, i loved writing about Kobe in this story. one of my dogs really does do that. its hilarious. I really hope I didn't confuse anyone with the first paragraph. If I did, imagine this. A really big rectangle. On the right side is a bunch of stalls and on the left side are two rooms and a really big empty space. An aisle with rubber mats on the floor (rubber mats gives horses better traction) goes straight down the middle and seperates the two sides. So anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and please review!! Oh, and fyi, I have a bad habit of getting wordy so please let me know if I start doing it. Muchos gracias!!!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers**

**Author's Note: I'm trying to get things rolling but this chapters really, really important. hint hint There is some mild language in here just to let ya'll know. Thank you so much for all the reviews!!!!**

Gradually Quicksilver and I began getting to know each other better. The repairs he was making on himself were slow and tedious but two days after his arrival he was able to walk around, outside of the stable. I had just arrived from taking care of the horses in the pastures when I saw him standing beneath the gigantic oak tree atop of the hill a few hundred feet from the stable. A beautiful sunset was playing in the skies above us, casting a golden light down upon us as the skies turned to soft pinks and purples. Slowly Kobe and I approached him. There was an old swing that hung from one of the curving branches and I sat on it as I watched Quicksilver. He was skimming his hands over the wood and lightly touched the leaves.

"I've never seen anything like this planet. There's so much life" He then turned stiffly to view the sunset. "And so much beauty" he added quietly. I noted with irony how the being I was awed by, was in awe of my home. Quicksilver looked down at me and gave me a strange look.

"I don't understand how you do not seem to appreciate all of this. How lucky you are to have it" I shook my head as I started pushing the swing lightly back and forth. He couldn't have been further from the truth.

"I do appreciate all of this. When I first came to Popi's ranch I was outdoors for hours, taking it all in. But by now, my awe turned into respect. It's like…it's become a part of me, if that makes any sense" Slowly the silver mech nodded his head. He lowered himself so that he was sitting beside the swing, among the oak's thick roots. Seeing that his new best friend was settled, Kobe made his way over to Quicksilver. The dog rested a paw on the leg and looked up with his big puppy dog eyes. I couldn't help but to wonder if that old trick would work on the alien. The stubby tail began wagging back and forth as a whine formed from deep inside the dog's throat. Quicksilver made a look that I couldn't interpret. Just as I was about to call the dog away, the pointed ears perked up and all of Kobe's attention was focused on something in the grass nearby. Like he was shot from a cannon, he was running after it. Quicksilver and I watched as the dog zigzagged through the grass. What was pathetic about the whole thing was that I never caught a glimpse of what he was chasing. The dog had a bizarre habit of chasing figments of his imagination.

"What the frag is that thing doing?" Quicksilver muttered. I just shook my head.

"And that is what you call a spaz" I said with a sigh.

As Kobe chased after his imaginary friends, I started talking with Quicksilver. He'd ask me a question either about myself or Earth and I'd ask him questions about himself and the other Autobots that were here. We were deep in conversation about one of Quicksilver's moments of action packed glory when I felt fur being rubbed up against my hand. I brushed it away but then froze. It wasn't Kobe's fur. Looking down I let out a scream, flipping backwards from the swing. Kobe was cheerfully looking at me with a dead squirrel hanging limply from his mouth. I scrambled to my feet while keeping a good amount of space between myself and the dog. Kobe, deciding that I absolutely needed to accept his 'gift' began walking towards me. I cried out and went around the tree with Kobe promptly following. I kept backing up around the tree until I ran into something metal. Without thinking I let out a cry. A bizarre, but distinct, laughter sounded from the silver mech.

"What's your problem? I thought that humans were omnivores" I looked up at him with a look of disgust. Kobe started edging toward me with the squirrel and I pressed myself up against Quicksilver's leg. A large hand gently wrapped around my torso and lifted me up in the air, placing me on the side opposite of Kobe.

"There's no way I'd ever eat that shit. I mean, the only meat I eat is processed. Like the kind with one percent of actual meat. Except when Popi barbecues; that stuff is one hundred percent real cow and pig" Quicksilver laughed again but soon Kobe was bounding around him so he could get closer to me.

"Go away Kobe, no one likes you!" I said while making shooing motions at the Doberman. He simply cocked his pointy head to the side in confusion as he wagged his tail. But his tail wasn't the only one that moved. The squirrel's bushy tail twitched.

"Shit! The thing's still alive!" Apparently Kobe didn't want a meal; he just wanted to share his new found friend. I shrieked, demanding that the dog let the rodent go. The poor dog had no idea what I was asking since I had never taught him a command like that.

Groaning, I apprehensively approached Kobe. I had one leg on either side of him, standing over his back. Thankfully the squirrel had enough sense to keep still in the jaws of the enormous puppy. I grimaced as I pulled Kobe's jaws apart and couldn't help letting out a girlie shriek as the squirrel fell out. It stood on the ground in shock and then took off running. The moment it had been freed I was twenty feet away, remembering my friend telling me how this deranged squirrel she had been chasing had attacked her. Kobe acted as if he was going to try and catch his little fuzzy friend again but I ordered him to stay. A shaking movement caught my eye. Quicksilver was trying hard to suppress his laughter but wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"You think this is funny? You think that my dog torturing me and a squirrel is funny?" I said while giving him the worst glare I could manage. All the silver mech could do was nod his head.

"You were acting as if that squirrel was about to bring out all its ammo on you" Continuing my glare I went over and sat on the swing, waiting for Quicksilver to regain control of himself. Kobe was moping that I had ruined all his fun. Finally, silence surrounded us just as night came in and the typical night time sounds were chorusing. A full moon glowed above us, offering plenty of light.

"Holy shit!" I screamed at the sudden thought that came into my mind. One of Quicksilver's arms turned into a gun as I ran over to Kobe. The silver mech was looking around as if in search for an enemy. "You can do scans on the dog, right?" I demanded. I knelt down to the now awake Doberman and began examining him all over for any bite marks. I pried open his mouth and peered in, ignoring the fragrant dog breath.

"Yes" he said with a sigh, disengaging his weapon. "Why?"

"Because that squirrel could have bitten Kobe and then we'll have Cujo on our hands and I refuse to let my dog end up like Old Yeller" I said, still relentlessly searching the dark fur. Lights surrounded my dog and I backed up to get out of the way. The lights flicked off and there was an awkward silence.

"Faith…" The solemn tone made my heart drop. I spun around to stare at Quicksilver, my eyes wide with grief. My beloved dog couldn't have been infected with rabies. "He's fine, don't look like he was just run through on the battlefield" the silver mech added with a laugh. My jaw dropped.

"You're a jackass, you know that?" Grabbing Kobe's collar I spun around and marched down the hill. Before I got very far there was a swift movement from behind me. Once again a hand wrapped around me and lifted upwards. All I could do was glare into Quicksilver's bright blue, and immensely humored, optics as he walked over to sit back beneath the oak tree.

"You should have seen the look on your face"

"That was cruel…needlessly cruel"

"I couldn't resist"

"Do you realize that rabies is a death sentence for dogs? It's incurable" Quicksilver maneuvered his hand so that I was standing on his palm. He gave me that distinct smile.

"I know. I researched it on that Internet of yours" He seemed so pleased with himself. He really was a jack ass and I wasn't afraid to tell him that again.

"Why are you worrying yourself so much over him? He's just like those other organisms that you consume. Not even sentient"

The silver mech bent his less damaged leg and set me on what served as his knee. I tried to make myself comfortable despite the metal, wires, and gears and surprisingly it wasn't that hard. I had to think long and hard about how I should answer his question. Even though he said he had studied human culture, he obviously didn't know how exactly we lived. Slowly my mind began forming a way to explain why I loved Kobe so much even though he wasn't 'sentient'.

"Okay…this is kind of off topic but hopefully you'll figure out where I'm going with it" I said the disclaimer slowly. Quicksilver made himself more comfortable against the tree trunk. "I haven't exactly known you for very long. Not even a week. But it's kind of obvious that Autobots are a lot more… 'superior', with a lack of a better term, than humans" The silver mech cocked his head slightly to the side and narrowed his optics, probably trying to figure out where I was going. "I mean, you came from outer space which is something that we can barely even do, you can transform parts of your body into weapons, you can link up to the Internet within seconds without even using a computer, and then there's the fact that your anatomy is mind blowing to me and yet you're playing your own doctor without a second thought. And there are probably plenty more things that you can do that I don't know about. So when it comes down to it, you're a lot better than I am" There was a long pause as I made sure that Quicksilver understood. He seemed a bit confused, not at my reasoning, but in trying to figure out how to tell me he was following my logic without insulting me. "So let's say that we become really good friends and then …wait, you have friends right? I mean, you know about the whole concept of friends" I randomly asked. Quicksilver gave me a weird look.

"Yes, I have friends" he said a bit curtly, offense creeping in. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Hey, I just wasn't sure. But anyway, let's say that we become really good friends and then one day, I'm killed. Even though I'm not as superior as you, would you be sad?" I tried to ignore the sudden chill that had settled into the summer night air as Quicksilver thought over what I had said. I was hoping that my explanation would work.

"Yes, I think I would be. At least as much as I could be considering I have seen many of my _friends_ killed and am used to the concept of death" he said casually but still managed to put emphasize on the word 'friends'. I had no idea how to respond to that answer so I just moved on.

"Well, the same thing goes for me and Kobe. Humans are a lot more superior than dogs but I still love him. He may not be 'sentient' but he's still loyal and sweet and fun. And that's why I was freaking out at the possibility of him having rabies. It'd mean that he would have to be euthanized before…it got bad. The same thing goes for my horses. It'd kill me if any of them were hurt"

"I understand"

Quicksilver then gently lifted me from his knee and set me on the ground. He made a grimace when he pushed himself to his feet but other than that, his wounds didn't seem to be bothering him as much. He muttered something about a ratchet though but I couldn't figure out what exactly he had said or meant. We walked down the hill together in silence. Kobe came bounding in from wherever he had been before and this time he didn't have a live squirrel hanging from his mouth. The Autobot mentioned how he was going to stay out and 'stretch his legs' before going into the barn for the night. I fed the horses and bedded them down. When I came back out, Quicksilver was a short distance from the house, looking up at the sky. I went over and told him that I'd be going inside to eat dinner and go to bed. All he did was give a short nod without looking away from the sky.

"You're wrong, you know" His words brought me to a quick halt. We both turned around to look at each other. "Autobots may be more advanced than humans in certain areas, but when it comes to how humans and Autobots think and feel, well, in my opinion, we're equal. You and Kobe showed me that…and I thank you for it"

* * *

I sat at my desk that was beneath the window I was looking out of. Quicksilver was in the fifty yards that separated the ranch house from the Northern end of the stable. My elbow was propped up on my desk, my hand holding up my chin. I had been writing in my diary when I noticed Quicksilver doing something outside. First he was just walking around in a circle but then he stopped, seemingly centering himself. Then he began punching the air. I realized that he was practicing fighting. I was completely mesmerized by his movements that were so smooth and graceful that I couldn't believe that they would be lethal. Once he was done with the punches he began doing kicks. The first one he did, however, brought out a pained cry that he tried to muffle. The first grimace I made was at the sound of the cry; it was shrill and high-pitched and like nothing I had ever heard before…and never wanted to hear again. The second grimace I made was when he tried to get through the kicking exercises but I could see the pain from his injuries jarring his once fluid movements. I had thought he was doing better but apparently he just wasn't up to par. It couldn't be more obvious to me that he needed help, help that I just couldn't give him. He needed to find the other Autobots and maybe they could help him with his wounds. Another shrill cry brought my attention back to what Quicksilver was doing. He was becoming more and more frustrated with his injuries. One of his arms changed to a gun and a mask covered his face. He looked around as if trying to find something to shoot at but saw no targets. Instead he saw me watching him. Our gazes held for a while before Quicksilver finally looked away. His hand changed back to normal and his mask disappeared. Just as he was about to walk away, I opened my window and leaned out.

"I have a thought" I called out. The silver mech held still and then walked over to my window. Even though I was on the second story he was still higher than I was.

"What are you processing?" he said, trying to act normally and not really succeeding.

"Well, whenever I'm frustrated I always enjoy watching things explode, people kicking each others asses, and fast cars" Quicksilver gave me a strange look. "Let's watch an action movie" I said frankly, getting to the point. There would have been the problem of Quicksilver being way to big to come inside the house to watch the television but my friend loves technology and bigger is better for him so he had bought a projector. Being the genius that he is, my friend didn't realize that he really didn't have a reason to have it so he gave it to me to take care of. I could easily set it up so we could watch the movie on the outside wall of the stable.

Quicksilver didn't seem to know how to respond. He looked at me and then everywhere but me. I heaved a great, exaggerated sigh.

"Fine," I said with an eye roll, "_I'll_ just have to make this call. We're watching a movie and you don't have a say in it" Quicksilver seemed to take great humor in my confidence. We both knew that I couldn't really force him to do anything. I pulled myself in from the window and began running around the house to get what was needed. Within half an hour I had the projector up and running. It was a top-of-the-line transportable digital projector that was in incredible condition. I mentally thanked my friend Antony for his impulsive shopping. The silver mech sat down in the grass and silently watched me as I loaded the disk. With the remote in hand, I walked over to him.

"What do you guys do to entertain yourselves back home? Do you have movies and stuff?"

"Once the war began, there was too much chaos to be 'entertained'. There were several small ways we found to keep our processors off the fighting though"

"Like…" I trailed off, hoping that he'd fill in the blanks. Instead he leaned back on his elbows.

"It's complicated. Too hard for me to explain" he said as he plucked an exceptionally long strand of grass. Suddenly my sick mind formed a mental picture of a female robot dancing on a stripper pole. I literally, and violently, shook my head to force the image out while praying that that wasn't the kind of 'entertainment' he was talking about. Quicksilver was giving me an odd look but I was saved when the main menu of the movie came up. I eagerly used the remote to select play and watched with great anticipation until _Bad Boys II_ began playing. It had action, comedy, fast cars, and explosions…not to mention that Will Smith has one hell of a body. For both Quicksilver and I, it was perfect. The silver Autobot seemed to agree as we watched the movie, his blue optics riveted with interest.

"That's a nice car," Quicksilver muttered when the silver Ferrari came into view.

"I didn't know you were into cars" The silver mech raised and lowered his shoulders in a shrug.

"I notice these things" as if to answer my question even though it just raised more.

"In my opinion, the Mercedes-Benz SL500 is the best there is. Especially those coupes. Of course, I don't know much about cars" Quicksilver gave me a look that I couldn't interpret and then put his attention back on the movie. There were several long moments as we watched the movie.

"Nice choice, especially if you don't like cars" he said with an approving nod. I guess he looked up the car on the Internet.

"Hey, it's nice looking and fast. Not to mention it must be priced over a $100,000 for a reason" I said with a smile and then jumped when someone in the movie was unexpectedly shot.

* * *

_His heart beat steadily against my ear as I laid my head against his chest. No matter how bad my day was, I would always feel immediately better the moment that I was with him again. My own heart started beating rapidly when he wrapped his arms around me. Whispering sweet nothings, his warm breath brushed by the tiny curls next to my ear. The most incredible chills ran through every particle of my body and I pressed closer to him. For the first time in my life, I finally felt safe._

My eyes flew open. Very slowly, I rose into a sitting position in my bed. Raising my hand to my cheek, I could feel the silent tears that were still falling. I hadn't had one of those dreams in so long. Kobe, who had been sleeping on my queen sized bed with me, raised his head. His sweet brown eyes were full of worry. I reached forward and scratched beneath his collar, his favorite scratching place. There were no good reasons for those dreams to have started coming back. It was why I left my family, friends, and home to come to live with Popi, away from my past. Things were just starting to calm down. They were finally okay until… I glanced out the window and over to the barn where Quicksilver was. _No_ I thought as I shook my head. Quicksilver's arrival had nothing to do with the dreams. He had nothing to do with my past and he never would.

I looked over my shoulder at my bed. I grimaced at the thought of going back to sleep. The dreams would continue. Maybe not that night or even that week. But the dreams would continue until the nightmare began. Its how it always happened. Not wanting to return to sleep, and the possible threat that it brought on, I pulled myself from the bed. Kobe sat up, his expressive eyes still filled with worry. He watched me as I pulled out my laptop from its case and set it up on my desk. I rarely used it since I had the desktop in the barn but I didn't want to disturb Quicksilver. He would just wonder why I was up so late and I didn't want to lie to him which is what I would have had to do. So instead, I hooked my computer up to the Internet in hopes of finding one of my friends on-line to distract me. I never saw them since I came to live with Popi so the few times I ventured onto the Internet was the only thing that was keeping us in contact. They were typical teenagers and I knew that they'd be on-line even if it was the earliest hours of the morning. So it was a great surprise when I saw that none of them were on-line.

"Must be a party," I muttered under my breath. So instead of chatting it up over AIM, I went over to my poorly maintained Myspace profile. There were the normal, 'I miss you' and 'Come back soon' comments that my friends left. And to my utter disbelief, there was a Friends add. Out of pure curiosity, I clicked on the button that would allow me to view the profile. It was extremely well put together with a background of some candy-apple red custom European car. His real named was not listed; the only name that was given was _Speedemon_. There were no pictures of the person, who I assumed was a guy, and not many details other than the quick statement of having the fastest car. I had no idea why this guy wanted to add me to his Friends list, especially since he had none of his own. Biting the corner of my lip, I made a quick decision. There were no reasons why I couldn't add him to my Friends list. I had no personal information on my webpage and no one would be able to find out any personal information, especially my location; my friend who owned the projector made sure of that. So, despite my better judgment, I added this guy to my list.

Almost immediately, a message appeared in my mailbox. Of course it was from Speedemon.

**Thanx for the add**, it read. **You seem pretty cool. Wanted to start my Friends List off right.** There was nothing out of the ordinary with the message. Well, except with how random it was. I was starting to think about turning the computer off but when I realized that there would have been nothing for me to do except to sleep, I decided I really didn't have anything to lose by replying. After all, this mystery guy had no way of finding out anything about me.

**No problem. But how exactly did you find my profile. Did we go to the same school or something?**

**Naw, I just got bored and decided to check out my friend's profile. I found yours by going through a bunch of others. **His response was insanely fast.

**And you didn't add those others? **I think my question caught him off guard because his response didn't come as quickly as his other had.

**Like I said, you seem pretty cool. The only one I thought worth talking to. **I had no idea how to feel. This could either turn out really well, or really bad. One side of me told me to end it before I got myself into trouble while another side told me to keep talking to this guy. The hard part was that those sides were equally persuasive. So I struck a middle ground.

**Well, thanx for the compliment. I'm pretty tired so I'll talk to you later.**

**Night. Hopefully we'll talk again soon.**

As I logged off and turned my laptop off, I gently shook my head. I would have thought that watching a movie projected onto the stable with a giant alien robot would have been weird but for whatever reason the fact that some random guy adding me to his Friends list baffled me more. Sluggishly I pulled myself over to my bed and laid down in it. Kobe crawled up and practically laid on top of me, his wet pointy nose shoved into my face.

**2****nd**** disclaimer: I do not own Myspace.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Just a quick reminder that Faith doesn't know that Autobots have vehicle modes**

The next two weeks passed peacefully. I for one was just happy that those dreams had stopped. It was lie to convince myself that they wouldn't continue but the self denial was the only thing that let me go to sleep at night. Quicksilver was also improving. After we watched the movie he didn't seem as hard on himself to get physically better. There was the chance that I had nothing to do with this change but I was just happy that he was okay. The bitter sweet realizations that he would eventually be leaving hit me when I watched as he was finally able to achieve a high kick relatively pain free. The silver mech was positively beaming with accomplishment and I couldn't help but to share his happiness. We had become close friends in the time he stayed on Popi's ranch and I knew how rare it was for a good friendship to form in such a short amount of time, even though he had a tendency to be a real jerk at times. Like how he took pure joy out of sneaking up behind me when I wasn't paying attention and then grab me as I let out a shocked cry. Of course I'd get back at him for those cruel moments he had but since I couldn't exactly hit or kick him without harming myself, I'd just let out a comment about how naïve he was or how he belonged in a junk yard. Neither of us took real offense by our bickering and in the end, we both knew that we had found an honest friend in the other. I wouldn't let myself ruin those moments by thinking that he'd be leaving soon. The only thing that kept my smile from being as forced was the knowledge that he would tell me when it was time for him to go.

* * *

"I still don't get why he keeps talking to me. From what I've figured out, he's one of those rich jocks whose Daddy buys him everything he wants" I said as I cleaned one of the saddles. I had one of the saddles balanced precariously balanced on the back of a chair while I sat on a stool with a bucket of dirty water beside me. I scrubbed the wet sponge against the bar of saddle soap and started scrubbing the leather clean of grime. "I mean, I've never been popular especially when I was in high school. Guys have never just randomly started talking to me"

"I can see why you're worried Faith. If you want, I can hack in and find out more about this Speedemon guy. See if he's a threat or not" Quicksilver watched me with a concerned optic from where he sat in his usual spot in the barn. It was so hot outside that we both opted to stay in the cool stable.

"That'd be great but what would happen if he was just some perv?"

"I'd pop one in 'is ass" he said with a gangsta-ish nod of his head. I just rolled my eyes.

"You really need to lay off the rap" I said as I turned the saddle around so that I could get the other side. Quicksilver made a sound I didn't recognize.

"The music is powerful and the lyrics are strong. Of course the lyrics are also humorous, the way that these humans claim to be so tough" Oh, he was _not_ about to go play the 'weak human' card.

"You wouldn't survive one second. The moment they saw you, they'd be shooting caps into _your_ big robotic ass" We both smirked. I knew that gang bangers wouldn't stand a chance against Quicksilver but I wasn't about to give up this fight because of a minor detail like that.

"All I'd have to do is step on them"

"Do you know how many people can be involved in a single gang and how many gangs there are? I personally think they could take you down" Quicksilver made the strange sound again. I suppose it was his version of a snort.

"I highly doubt it. See this armor?" he asked as he pointed at the silver armor of his arm. "This is stronger than a vast majority of Earth metal. One of your bullets wouldn't even be able to pierce it"

"I heard once how this stupid guy left his car in bad part of neighborhood in the middle of the night. He was gone ten minutes and when he came back, his car was completely dismantled. Wheels, seats, stereo, doors, even the steering wheel was gone. I'm sure that they'd find a way to take you out if they did that to a car in less than ten minutes. I'd even go far as betting that they'd do the same thing to Cybertronian equivalent to a car" I added the last part smugly and earned an evil glare from Quicksilver.

"I'd like to see them try" he growled lowly. I was taken aback a little by his intensity. It was if he had taken my statement personally. The silver mech watched me critically and then shook his head, while muttering something in his language.

I was uncomfortable so I concentrated on getting my saddle clean. It didn't take me long to clean so when I was done, I put it back into the lounge and grabbed a bunch of bridles. When I returned I moved my stool so that it was next to one of the hooks that normally held a horse halter. With the bridle on the hook, which made it easier to clean rather than just holding onto it, I glanced over at Quicksilver. He had a look of concentration which told me he was looking something up, probably on the Internet. Hopefully it wasn't a rap music video because he really did need to lay off of those.

"You don't need to worry about this guy" he suddenly said.

"Are you sure?" I asked as I started cleaning the bridle while looking over at the silver mech.

"Positive. He's really into cars. Lives about an hour away"

"What's his name? He won't tell me"

"Can't find anything on that" he said with a shrug.

"So you can find out where he lives but you can't figure out his real name?" I asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"Hey, it's your Internet. Don't blame me if its messed up" he defended quickly. I just rolled my eyes. God forbid I insult him.

"He's really okay Faith, honest. I wouldn't let a bad person near you" the silver mech said softly. I smiled to myself and gave him a coy look.

"I know. I think I can start trusting you"

"You don't trust me already?" he asked. I couldn't tell if he was hurt or just faking it.

"People have done some pretty bad stuff to me Quicksilver. It's a pretty big thing for me to start trusting you even though I haven't known you for very long" The silver mech thought about it and then a smile slowly spread across his features but then it suddenly vanished.

"What kind of bad stuff?" he asked, his shutters narrowing.

"Stuff that's better off in the past" I said simply and in a tone that said that there was nothing left to talk about the subject. It didn't seem like he was about to drop it, but then he decided that it was best to.

* * *

That night Popi called. He told me that he'd be coming home earlier than he originally planned. The mustangs had been easier to find and Popi was only going to be bringing home only one addition to the stable. I was ecstatic to hear Popi's voice again but not exactly sure how to respond to the news he told me. It meant that Popi would be coming home early but at the same time there was Quicksilver. I wasn't about to go tell Popi that there was a giant alien warrior robot recuperating in the stable. For one, I don't think that Popi would have believed me. And two, well, I didn't really need any other reasons. If I told anyone, either I was going to an asylum or Quicksilver would be taken away and experimented on. It wasn't that I didn't trust Popi, I just had no idea how he would respond and it wasn't worth Quicksilver's wellbeing.

When I told Quicksilver, I wasn't sure exactly how he responded. It was if I was trying to read the expression of a rock. He just told me not to worry about it. I asked what he would do as I paced back and forth, trying to figure out an answer. I wanted him to be safe and to find his fellow Autobots but I didn't want him to disappear from my life. It had seemed such a long since I was able to trust anyone new.

"Don't worry about it, Faith" Quicksilver told me. I ignored him, continuing my pacing. We were outside next the oak tree on the hill. "Come on, shawty, relax" At this point I did stop but it was only long enough to glare at him. It had become something of a joke between us when Quicksilver discovered the term 'shawty'. He knew it bugged me because he discovered it while listening to rap but also how, according to him, it applied to me because I was so short. Of course anyone would be considered short when compared with his twenty five foot height. I really shouldn't have been surprised when his hand wrapped around me and lifted me up to his eye level.

"_Relax_" his words were annunciated slowly and sternly. Sometimes I would forget that he was a soldier but all he had to do was speak a certain way to remind me.

"I just don't know what to do" My voice revealed how dejected I felt.

"Oh come on," there was a slight pause before he added, "have some faith in me" The pun was intended.

"Ha ha, that is _soo_ hilarious" I scowled. Quicksilver made one of his snorts and then something caught his attention. I turned around in his loose grasp to see what his optics were trained on. Kobe had appeared with one of his toys, a blue elephant, in his mouth. He wagged his tail as he stared up at us with his puppy clueless curiosity.

"Look at Kobe. He isn't worried about anything"

"Kobe's smart but not smart enough to realize what's going on"

"I think he knows, he just doesn't let on"

"Quick_silver_" I whined. "Do you have any idea how _annoying_ you are?" The silver mech seemed to take great pride in this. Apparently he had the perfect idea as to how annoying he was.

"Just trust me," he said as he set me on his shoulder and began walking down the hill. I had no idea where he was taking us. Kobe followed, a little put off that he was being ignored.

"How can I trust you when I don't even know what I need to trust you about? What are you planning on doing?"

"Just trust that I'm going to take care of this situation and that you don't need to worry your tiny little head off"

"You're not helping and you're acting like a jerk" He wasn't really acting like a jerk but I felt a need to insult him and calling him a jerk was the best that I could do.

"If I was being a jerk, which I admit I normally am, then I wouldn't be helping you like this. You know I could make things a whole lot harder for you if I really wanted to" I wisely kept my mouth shut. He would gladly take on government torture if it meant inflicting torture on me.

That angry silence flowed into a content one. After picking up the moping dog so that the Doberman was carried in Quicksilver's hand, we walked aimlessly around the ranch. I closed my eyes and listened to Quicksilver's internal humming. It was like listening to his heartbeat. But this 'heartbeat' didn't break my own heart.

"Quicksilver?" I asked hesitantly, still trying to figure out how to put my question into the right words.

"Hmm?" I couldn't help but to smile at how much he had picked up from my culture.

"When you find the other Autobots are we still going to be…I mean…will we still talk?"

"I won't disappear on you Faith, I promise" I gave a happy sigh at his answer and leaned against his helmet.

"Thank you" I whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Just a little thing, the bold means that its an Internet conversation. A little tidbit of useless info, I came up with Faith's screename first and liked it so much that I decided to use it as the name of the story.**

To this day I can't explain how I felt when I found that Quicksilver had left. There had been no warning. One morning, a couple of days before Popi was due to return, the silver mech was gone. He had left no word of his whereabouts or if he was even all right. I was completely distraught and spent nearly the whole day riding around the ranch's land in search of him. Kobe seemed to be taking it worse than I was. He was listlessly wondering around the stable with one of his toys in his mouth, his pointed ears flat out to the sides. My heart broke for the pup and anger grew for the silver mech. He could have had at least given me a warning like I was positive he would have instead of just flat out leaving. For all I knew, he was going straight into battle and get himself killed; that would mean that I would have no chance to tell him how pissed I was.

With nothing else to do, I flung myself head long into my work. I forced all of the motions down and convinced myself that everything was all right. Of course I knew by the he swelling inside that everything was far from all right and it would take a long time for things to return to normal. Even the horses seemed sad but I knew it was just because they had to leave the pasture that was rich with grass, and return to the stables at night. I found myself spending more time in the lounge on the computer. My friends from back home were happy to see me on-line more and they reminded me that I did have friends who wouldn't abandon me. Speedemon was always on-line and always willing to listen. I found myself venting to him the most. Although I had no idea what he looked like, I could imagine him sitting in front of his computer with a sympathetic look on his face as he read my messages. Of course I imagined with beautiful blue eys, a charming smile, and an incredible body. If I didn't have such a bad track record with guys or if I had known this mystery guy better I would have fallen hard for the guy.

I never told Speedemon who or what Quicksilver exactly was. I was angry at the mech but I wasn't about to betray him no matter how much he deserved it.

**Speedemon: You can't plan on being mad at this guy forever**

**Keepinfaith: Of course not. I'm planning on moving from anger to contempt.**

**Speedemon: Isn't that the same thing?**

**Keepinfaith: For a guy maybe, but they are completely different for a girl**

**Speedemon: What if he came back? All this anger/contempt/whateveryouwanttocallit, you have for him will just drive him away**

**Keepinfaith: He's not coming back**

**Speedemon: Why would you say that?**

**Keepinfaith: I don't know. I guess I just don't want him to come back**

**Speedemon: If you didn't want him to come back, you wouldn't be this hurt that he left**

**Keepinfaith: I would be even more hurt if he came back and then just left again. It's happened in my life far too many times. I can't handle it anymore.**

**Keepinfaith: Are you still there?**

**Speedemon: Yeah. I just couldn't think of anything to say**

**Keepinfaith: Well, that's a first ; )**

**Speedemon: Haha, aren't you a comedian**

**Keepinfaith: D**

**Keepinfaith: I was thinking about something**

**Speedemon: Oh wow, you're thinking. Now we're in trouble**

**Keepinfaith: I am so not giving you the compliment I was just going to give you**

**Speedemon: I'm hurt. Now what's up?**

**Keepinfaith: What's your real name?  
Speedemon: Now that's a secret**

**Keepinfaith: Jerk**

**Speedemon: Hey, you figured out my name  
Keepinfaith: Huh?**

**Speedemon: My real name is…Jerk**

**Keepinfaith: Jackass**

**Speedemon: Now that would be my middle name. Can you guess what my last name is?**

That was when I logged off.

The next afternoon Popi came home. I knew he'd be coming home that day but I still jumped up with excitement when I heard the rattling of engine pulling up. Kobe was already jumping up and down next to the driver's door. The dog was jumping so high that his hind end must have been at least three feet off the ground. The truck door creaked open and a dusty cowboy boot hit the soft dirt, R&B music faintly heard playing from the truck's radio. Even though I was excited as my dog, I wasn't about to go running up and start jumping up and down. Popi was the same height as me but his worn cowboy hat made him look taller. His long-sleeved blue plaid shirt was worn but there wasn't a single wrinkle. The dark blue jeans looked as if they were old enough to have been the orginal pair invented. To finish off the stereotypical old cowboy look was a brown leather belt held up by a fairly good sized rodeo trophy buckle. Popi himself looked tired and weary from the hours of traveling. His tanned skin, which showed his Hispanic heritage, had that smell of leather, horse, and the truck's interior, all of which formed the distinct smell of Popi. I flung my arms around his neck as I kissed his cheek. The old man held me close for a moment and then let go. He asked if everything was all right with the ranch. I told him everything was great but he narrowed hi eyes in disbelief. Not even bothering lying, I told him the truth…at least the main part.

"I got into a fight with a friend of mine and now I'll probably never see him again" Popi gave me a sympathetic nod of the head.

"Then they weren't that good of a friend to begin with" One thing I loved about Popi was how he was so sympathetic and wise but always short to the point.

An impatient movement came from inside the trailer reminding us of the horses inside. The first horse to be unloaded was difficult; the young mustang was jittery and wouldn't stop moving as the stared at his new surroundings. He was a beautiful steel grey color while his haunches were white with big black spots. White stockings rose half way up three of his legs. The horse's lanky body revealed that he was about two or three years old.

"I could only bring one mustang home. Despite how pretty his is, no one was willing to take this guy on after he sent two men to the hospital" I stared in amazement at the horse who nervously paced at the end of the lead rope Popi was holding. The horse looked skittish, but not malevolent. Popi noticed the loon on my face.

"I've been working with him. You need to be careful with him and if he does harm you, it'd be unintentional. He's not a mean horse…just young" I shook my head in disbelief. No matter how horrible the horse or the horse's past, Popi would rehabilitate it. Popi led the new arrival into the stable while I unloaded the second horse from the trailer. He was a medium-sized paint horse with two baby blue eyes. His coat was splotched with brown and white patches while his mane and tail were black. He was a good old boy who would keep his cool even if he was standing next to an exploding bomb. Apache was Popi's favorite horse and always taken on the yearly trek to the mustang sanctuary. Apache followed me calmly as I led him to his stall. I grimaced at the sounds of a large commotion coming from inside one of the stalls. A horse was going nuts in their stall, kicking and neighing loudly. Breaking in a jog with Apache close behind I expected to see Popi struggling with the new horse. But it wasn't the new horse who was causing the problem, it was one of mine. With Apache still tagging along I stormed over to the Southern end of the stable. As soon as the occupant of the last stall heard my footsteps, the commotion immediately ceased. I growled out the name.

"_Spitfire_"

The horse stared at me with wide eyes as if saying, 'What? I haven't done anything'. Before Spitfire I had no idea that a horse could give a puppy-eyed look but this stallion had it down perfectly. He tried working me over with it as I glared into his stall, daring him to try and make trouble. I should have known better. Spitfire always made problems whenever a new horse came in. It was one of the stallion's weird quirks. I was still giving him my warning glare as I led Apache away to put the old painted horse back into his stall. Popi was standing in front of the new horse's stall with his arms over his chest. He was extremely gracious about letting me bring my horses to his ranch but he always gave me a hard time about my four stallions. He preferred the good ol' ranch horses rather than the high strung, hot blooded show horses. With Popi's help, feeding the horses went by quickly. We agreed that I'd help him move the trailer into the empty area of the stable in the morning before he went off to the ranch house to get some much needed rest. I stayed in the stable with the horses and Kobe. The poor dog was still depressed by Quicksilver's sudden departure. The Doberman was laying in the spot that Quicksilver had normally taken up. I watched with a breaking heart as Kobe rested his head on his squeaky toy and every once in a while would raise his head as if in search for a little blue dot. Kneeling in front of him, I took the black and brown pointed head in my hands. My face was inches from his and looked into his expressive caramel eyes.

"Popi's right Kobe, we're better off without him. He wasn't a real friend. Besides, who needs him? We have each other and the horses and Popi" As if understanding, a large pink tongue began an assault on my face. I let out a sad laugh and scratched Kobe behind his ear. A soft nicker sounded from behind me. My very first horse, Taffy, was pushed up against her stall door as far as she could. No matter what happened to me, who came in or left my life, my heart always had a special place for my first horse. She was small, almost a pony, which made her speed and agility so surprising. Her coat was a soft tan color and in the sun, it shone like gold. A splotch of white was hidden behind her forelock but the white trailed down her face all the way to her lower lip. She had two white socks, one on her left front leg and the other on her right hind. A sweet nicker once again came from her pinkish lips. With a smile I walked over to her and began scratching the white splotch beneath her gold forelock. She nuzzled my free hand in search of food. Taffy was a good horse but her main loyalty was to food.

"I'd rather have ya'll in this stable than that over-sized tin can any day" I told her. A neigh sounded from the last stall on the Southern end. I rolled my eyes as Spitfire shoved his head and neck over the stall door. God forbid I give attention to other horses. The stallion looked at me with expectant eyes. He was an extremely impressive horse who lived up to his name. His coat was a rich orange-red that resembled fire and he had a small white mark between his eyes that resembled a dancing flame. His mane was the same color but it was so thick that one day I was so frustrated with trying to keep it on one side of his neck that I decided to chop it off. When it grew back, it grew straight up instead of falling to the side. Spitfire was the only horse I had seen with a two-inch mohawk lining the top of his thick neck. It made him even look even larger than he already was even though he wasn't the tallest of my horses. He let out another neigh, though this one was much louder. His name was appropriate for him not only for his appearances but also his personality. Spitfire was never predictable and he sent me on several wild goose chases for him when he decided to jump out of his pasture and go for a romp around the ranch. The last time was the worst when he decided that he needed to pay a visit to town. I had found him inside the floral shop eating all the flowers. Of course the stallion made up for his miscreant ways whenever I rode him. He could jump anything at any speed and at any angle…and he loved every minute of it. I walked over to the waiting stallion letting Taffy return to her hay. When I got close enough, he reached out and playfully nipped at me. I flicked his upper lip but then scratched him behind one of his ears. We had a love-hate relationship but I knew that he would never purposefully do anything to hurt me.

I was still paying Spitfire attention when I heard a beep from the lounge. At the sound I froze. It had been a slow day but I had never been on the computer at all. I hadn't even turned it on for at least two days, having used my laptop. Apprehensively, I approached the lounge and looked in. The computer screen was dark but another beep came from it and I saw that the CPU's lights were on. Convincing myself that I must have just accidentally left it on, I sat down at the desk's chair. With a quick movement of the mouse the screen flashed to life. A new message had appeared in my mailbox. I frowned when the message flashed up so quickly. The computer was ancient and it usually took several minutes for my mailbox to load, not seconds. Biting the corner of my bottom lip, I read the message from Speedemon.

**Hey there, I was just wondering if I could ask you a quick question. I'll be on-line all night. **Looking over to my AIM list, I saw that Speedemon was indeed on-line.

**Keepinfaith: Wats up?**

**Speedemon: Nothing much, I just had a question I really need to ask you.**

**Keepinfaith: That's what your e-mail said…so wat is it?**

**Speedemon: My parents are remodeling the house and they've moved on to the garage. It's not a good idea to let my cars be there when they're remodeling and I remember you saying how you're on a ranch. I was wondering if maybe I could keep my cars at your place.**

**Keepinfaith: Ummm…. I need to talk to Popi about it. Its not exactly my decision to make.**

**Speedemon: Could you please? I've got a pretty wicked collection and I don't know where else to keep them.**

**Keepinfaith: How big of a collection are we talking about?**

**Speedemon: An 18-wheeler, a truck, a Hummer, and two sports cars**

**Keepinfaith: What the hell are you doing with an 18-wheeler?!**

**Speedemon: lol wat can I say, I like a varied collection**

**Speedemon: …you still there?**

**Keepinfaith: still trying to get over the 18-wheeler**

**Speedemon: do you have space? I mean, they don't have to be inside or anything. Outside would be cool. I just don't want them anywhere near wet concrete, saws, ladders…**

**Keepinfaith: Space isn't a problem as long as you don't mind them getting a little dusty**

**Speedemon: No prob, don't worry about it. I'll just be thankful for a safe place to keep 'em**

I thought long and hard before I apprehensively typed my reply. I think Speedemon knew because he didn't ask if I was still there when five minutes had passed and I still hadn't replied.

**Keepinfaith: Let me talk to Popi but I have no idea what he's going to say**

**Speedemon: Thank you so much for even considering. I know it's a lot to ask**

**Keepinfaith: Hey, you listening to me rant countless times about stupid, idiotic guys so I figured I could do something in return**

* * *

The next afternoon I turned on the computer in the lounge. I wasn't surprised at all to Speedemon was on-line. He was ecstatic when I told him that Popi gave his permission to keep the cars on the ranch. Of course I made sure to tell him how apprehensive Popi was about it. I also gave Speedemon the message that Popi told me to give him verbatim.

**Popi wants me to tell you that he has a collection of his own but his has guns, not cars, and he has no problem using his guns on you and your cars. So, in other words, don't try anything funny if you value your and your cars' lives. And that's not a threat, it's a promise. **Speedemon's reply took several minutes.

**I promise, nothing funny at all. If something weird happens, you can even keep my Mercedes-Benz. It's my best car.**

We then went on to talk about the details. The cars would be coming in two days and we agreed that there'd be enough space in the stable to keep them all, even the 18-wheeler. I reminded him a couple more times about Popi's promise, and each time Speedemon just reminded me of his. I was growing more and more anxious and excited. I was finally going to meet Speedemon in person. He and some of his friends were going to personally deliver the cars but they wouldn't be able to stay long even though Speedemon wanted to. I was just excited that I'd be able to meet him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Some language in here and one of those filler chapters**

Two days later I was bringing Taffy in from the meadow. I was riding the mare along the dirt road without any bridle or tack. All I had to do to steer her was shift my position or apply pressure with my legs. We had been together since we were both five so we knew each other as much as possible. With a sigh, I patted Taffy's golden neck. There had been neither sign nor message from Speedemon all day and I was beginning to think that this was all made up. It may have been time for Popi to bring out his gun collection. Even though it was a large distance from where Taffy and I where, I could indistinctly see Popi on the porch in his favorite chair, waiting and watching. I knew that he had his rifle just out of sight but within reach. No one messed with Popi.

When Taffy and I were about half way to the stable, I swung from her back. Immediately she dropped her head and began grazing in the beautiful golden grass. She was such a good horse that I would let her freely roam around the ranch while I brought in the other horses. All I had to do was whistle and she'd come to me. As I started walking back to the pastures there was thrashing in the brush. Kobe bounded out of nowhere and nearly collided into me. I laughed as the dog happily trotted at my side. When we reached the fence, I undid two halters that were buckled on the top rail. Kobe slid through the two bottom rails as I climbed over the fence. The stallions saw me approaching with the two halters and they trotted amiably up to me. I slipped the halters onto Danny and Terremoto while Pago and Spitfire would have to wait for the next trip. Danny was a beautiful horse who belonged in movies and paintings; he was pure white all over his body and a mane, tail, and forelock that were as long as Pago's. Danny's full name was Waterdancer and he lived up to his name. His steps were fluid and graceful, his mane and tail floating with each movement he made. He wasn't as good at jumping as the other stallions but he made it up with his beauty and grace. Several times I had been asked if he and Pago were brothers and they looked like they were except that one was white while the other was black. I didn't have the heart to tell those people, most of them children, that Pago and Danny were completely different breeds; Pago was a Friesian while Danny was an Andalusion.

The white stallion waited patiently as I coiled Terremoto's lead rope. Terremoto, an Akhal-Teke, was the tallest of the stallions. His back was higher than my 5'10" height. His silky coat was a soft, almost sandy, brown while his short mane, almost nonexistent forelock, and long tail were pitch black. A characteristic that was specific to his breed was how he had a certain golden metallic quality to his beautiful coat. His legs were also black but the higher up on the leg, the lighter the black was until the ebony faded to the sandy color of his coat. Terremoto was the calmest and most level-headed of the stallions. The only thing that could rattle him were loud, sudden noises. There was no telling when the horse would be set off and the only warning anyone really had was the noise that scared Terremoto or the few times he would start visibly start shaking before losing it. That was how he earned his name which meant 'earthquake' in Italian. The horse would go berserk if there was a loud noise and I had earned myself a trip to the hospital once because of it. But that rarely happened so I was completely at ease when I gave the coiled rope to Kobe. The Doberman happily grabbed it in his mouth and trotted forward with the enormous Terremoto amiably following behind. I led Danny behind Terremoto while Pago and Spitfire returned to grazing in the grass, waiting for me to return for them. The day was beautiful and I closed my eyes as listened to the wind rustle the grass along the dirt road that led to the stable. The horse's hoofbeats were rhythmic and created their own beat, every once in a while accompanied by a snort or swish of the tail. When I opened my eyes we were passing by Taffy who didn't pay us any attention as she tore up another chunk of gold grass. She rarely paid the stallions any attention unless Spitfire had gotten loose again and was bothering her. I was in no hurry to reach the stable since I was enjoying the peacefulness so much. I was surprised when both stallions suddenly halted several yards before the stable's closed Southern doors and I ran into Terremoto's big rear end. He didn't even flinch as he let out a nervous snort and stared at the doors as if at any moment a monster was going to come bursting out of them. Kobe looked at me with a confused look in his eyes, the lead rope still hanging from his mouth. I reassured him in a calm voice and then tried to walk forward. Danny refused to budge. He stared a the doors, neck raised high and ears so far forward that they were nearly touching at the tips. It was if he was expecting the same monster to pop out that Terremoto was waiting for. The white stallion snorted and sidestepped nervously while the other stallion was as still as a rock. I tried again to walk Danny forward but once again he refused. At this point I was annoyed. There was plenty of things for me to do and I wasn't about to waste my time, or this beautiful day, while the horses pretended to be afraid of stupid imaginary monsters. After some stern convincing I managed to get Danny close enough so I could slide open the doors. I had them about half way open when something caught my eye. Terremoto was visibly shaking and Kobe was whimpering as he still held the lead rope in his mouth. I jogged Danny over to the arena on the western side of the stable and let him loose in there before booking it back to Terremoto and Kobe. I grabbed the stallion's lead rope and ordered Kobe to back off. Unsure of what was going on, Kobe backed up while giving off soft whines. With Kobe out of harms way I tended to the quaking Terremoto. I ran my hand down his sweaty neck but he ignored me, riveted by something in the stable. At this point I knew that he wasn't faking it or imagining it. Something in there had him petrified. I began cooing and soothing the young stallion. It didn't matter what I said as long as I kept my tone of voice soft and reassuring

Ever so slowly I convinced Terremoto to take a few steps forward. We were at the doors and I was finally able to look in to see what was wrong. The empty space was no longer empty. Five shining vehicles were parked there. Not willing to risk not keeping a careful eye on Terremoto, I didn't have the chance to study the cars. The poor stallion's neck was sky high, his body tense and ready to spring. The whites of his eyes were showing and his nostrils were dilated. It took more gentle convincing to allow me to open the doors wider so there would be plenty of room for us to enter.

"Its okay, baby boy, its okay. Its just some cars, nothing to be afraid of" I soothed. The stallion finally broke away from his trance on the cars enough to nudge me with his dark nose. I knew then that he'd follow me willingly into the stable but it was going to be at a slow pace.

I have no idea how long it took me to get Terremoto into his stall. His steps were shaky and slow, his gaze never once leaving the cars. I could feel the tense atmosphere as if it was something that I could actually touch. I did my best to ignore it and to coax my horse into his stall. Once he was safely inside, he went to the corner furthest from the cars and stared warily at them without moving. I was tempted to leave the stallions out in the pasture but they were scared of nothing more than cars. This is the reaction I would have expected if Quicksilver was there, not something that was apart of everyday life. With an apprehensive sigh I left the stable to get Danny from the arena. He was just as anxious as Terremoto but while Terremoto had been still and slow, Danny refused to stop moving. He jittered around, practically trotting in place. He rolled his eyes and sidestepped past the cars, refusing to turn away from them. When I went back to the pasture, I only retrieved Pago. He had the same reaction as Danny, refusing to be slow. I had to move quickly to avoid being stepped on by the flurry of hooves. But Danny, Pago, and Terremoto were a cakewalk compared to the battle I went through with Spitfire. I was foolish to believe that it would be easy when he followed me amiably through the stable door's threshold. However the moment he spotted the vehicles, he reared up so high that I was yanked off of my feet. He lashed out with his front hooves and let out a cry that could have burst my ear drums. The moment the stallion's hooves touched the rubber matting, he began backing up so fast that his haunches nearly touched the ground. I was almost knocked form my feet and no matter how hard I dug my heels into the ground, I was dragged out of the stable by the stallion. Spitfire spun around but I used it to my advantage. I began whirling the lead rope in a circle beside me, threatening Spitfire. Without thinking he began backing up so fast that he didn't realize that he was back in the stable until it was too late. When he realized that he was near the horrid vehicles he tried to bolt forward and right into me but I was prepared. I took a step back and just as he was passing me, I pulled back with all of my body weight. It wasn't nearly enough to stop him but it was enough to knock him off balance. With the stallion off balance I pulled again and he whipped around to face me, his back to the freedom of the stable doors. He paused for a fraction of a second before he took advantage of the situation. I cried out, nothing I could do to stop him, when his rear end rose high up into the air and his head ducked between his front legs. With an incredibly powerful hind leg, he lashed out at the cars with his rock hard hooves. There was a resounding _bang!_ as his hoof crashed into the grill of the black truck. The stallion had his ears pinned flat against his head and was grinding his teeth in rage. He was about to kick the truck again when I did the stupidest thing imaginable. I stepped between the raging stallion and the truck.

"_Spitfire!_" I yelled. The stallion nearly fell down from trying to keep his already flying hoof from hitting me. I had never felt so much tension in the air and for some reason I felt as if it was coming from behind me, not as much from Spitfire or the other stallions. There was a faint, almost angry, rattling sound from directly behind, from the truck, but I just figured it was vibrations set off by the stallion's strike. One of the red stallion's ears were cocked back while the other had swiveled, completely focused on the vehicles. He raised his leg to strike again but I jerked the lead rope violently to jar his attention back to me.

"_Don't you dare_" I growled through clenched teeth. Slowly his hoof lowered. He followed me to his stall without any more issues.

Apache and the new horse were easy. They were on the Northern side of the stable and didn't even have to go near the vehicles since I used the Northern door. The young horse was jittery but I was cautious. Good old Apache was a little antsy but true to his nature, he didn't give me any problems. There was only one more horse and she went into the very center stall. I gave a high-pitched whistle and then walked over to the truck to examine the damage Spitfire inflicted as I waited. To my utter surprise, and relief, there wasn't even a scratch on the black metal. The only thing that was strange about the truck was how warm it was but then again it had just been driven. Before I could give it much more thought I heard familiar hoof beats. Taffy stood just outside of the Southern doors, staring at the vehicles. She snorted and took a step back. I walked over to the cautious mare and wrapped an arm under neck, grabbing a chunk of her mane on the opposite side. I walked forward. At first she resisted but then she fell into step alongside of me. Once I had her inside, I closed the doors and flicked on the lights. We were both locked in the stables with nowhere else to go. I watched my Taffy carefully. Her brown liquid eyes swept over the cars until they finally settled on the 18-wheeler on the end closest to the Southern doors. She snorted as she sidestepped and tossed her delicate head, her gold mane catching the light. I knew exactly what I needed to do. I ran off to the feed room to grab a carrot. I walked swiftly back and stood in front of the 18-wheeler waving the carrot in the air to catch Taffy's attention. The moment that I stood close to the gigantic vehicle I could feel what had the horses so frightened. There was something about it, almost like an aura, which gave off a feeling of intimidation and authority. But for whatever reason I was not frightened by this aura but rather wary. I had never been next to such a large vehicle so I figured that was the reason for the strange feeling. It was a weak reason but I needed to get over the feeling if I was to get the horses over it.

Taffy flicked her ears in confusion and took a hesitant step forward. I knew we had a special bond and that combined with her love of food, I knew I'd get her to do what I wanted: to touch the 18-wheeler. Taffy took more steps back and to the side than she did forward but eventually she came to me. She stretched her neck forward and I let her get a small bite of the carrot but no more. I then pressed the carrot against the enormous grill of the 18-wheeler. If she wanted the carrot she'd have to trust me and touch the vehicle. She tossed and flipped her head but she did step forward. Then so slowly I thought as if time was being dragged to a halt, Taffy reached for the carrot. She tried to cheat by nibbling at it but I moved it away while still keeping it against the truck's front.

"Uh uh, you can't cheat. You have to touch it" I told her. Taffy's lips brushed against the grill as she tried to get a firm hold of the carrot that I had pressed against the metal. For several long moments she was actually touching the grill of the intimidating custom-painted blue 18-wheeler until I let her tear the carrot away. She eagerly followed as I led her to her stall and secured her inside. With a weary sigh I leaned against the stall door. Not only had I not met Speedemon, but he dropped his cars off without a word, the cars for whatever reason inspired fear in my horses and then Spitfire has to go and kick one of them. With my luck, the carrot probably somehow stained the metal grill when I held it against the truck. Heaving another sigh I was about to push myself from the stall door when, right on cue, I heard scratching and whining. I knew what to expect with the horses but I had no idea how frightened Kobe would be at the vehicles.

"Now for the dog," I sighed as I went to open the door. I fully expected to have to drag the dog over to the cars to get him over the fear and I wasn't exactly looking forward to it. The moment I opened the door, Kobe exploded into the stable. He raced to the cars and began sniffing the silver Mercedes-Benz at the opposite end of the line from the 18-wheeler like crazy. He whined and pawed at the wheel but before I could reprimand him, he dashed off. The Doberman ran up and down the barn aisle with his butt tucked beneath him. Every once in a while he'd swerve off to the cars and weave around them, sniffing them like they were made out of beef jerky. I watched with my jaw dropped. When I regained my composure, I closed my mouth.

"You're such a dork" I muttered, leaving the giant puppy to continue his madness as I began feeding the horses.

* * *

After the horses were fed, I was just about to leave when I heard a beep from the lounge. This time I had left the computer on. It was no surprise to see that Speedemon was on-line. 

**Speedemon: sorry, you weren't there when we dropped the cars off. Wasn't enough time to wait for you**

**Keepinfaith: I'll get over it **I was too irritated to type anything more

**Speedemon: So is everything cool? **

**Keepinfaith: The horses flipped out when they saw your cars and (I'm really really really really really sorry) one of them kicked the black truck. No damages though **It was actually strange that there weren't any damages. Spitfire had wreaked his havoc on cars before and there were some major, and expensive, damages.

**Speedemon: No harm done. That's my junky truck**

**Keepinfaith: That's a pretty nice truck though**

**Speedemon: Eh, I guess. It was a hand-me-down from my dad. He loved it so I don't have the heart to get rid of it**

**Speedemon: Do you have any idea why the horses flipped at the cars?**

**Keepinfaith: Not really. It could be because there's something different in the stable. Sometimes that's all it takes. Horses aren't exactly big on change.**

**Speedemon: ok. Are you sure that keeping the cars is a problem? If the horses are freakin out…**

**Keepinfaith: No, don't worry about it. They need to get over it. I mean…they're just cars.**

**Keepinfaith: Right?**

**Speedemon: lol, yeah they're just cars.**

I quickly logged off when I heard the Northern stable doors being opened and heavy footsteps approaching. Popi was standing in front of the cars when I came out of the lounge. He stared at the vehicles with a critical eye.

"Why did you lead Apache and the new horse through the Northern doors?" he asked, his voice emotionless.

"Mine were giving me a hard time so I just wanted to avoid the fight as much as possible…especially with the new horse" Popi nodded his head, his way of telling me that he agreed with my decision. He continued examining the cars, his arms crossed over his chest. Slowly he walked to one end of the line. He stood in front of the Mercedes-Benz and at that moment I realized that my dream car was within an arm's length from me. I hadn't had the chance to really look at the cars until then. The sleek Mercedes-Benz SL500 was incredible and my heart began racing when I realized that it was a coupe. I knew that it was a popular car but I was floored at the coincidence that my dream car was in front of me. When Popi moved on to the next car, I regained my composure so he wouldn't see me drooling over the Benz. The sports car next to the Benz was smaller, a candy-apple red Pontiac Solstice. It was one of the most stylish cars I had ever seen. Next to it was the Hummer but Speedemon forgot to tell me that it was a Fire Department Search and Rescue vehicle. The paint job was a fluorescent yellow with red lettering. I didn't even want to know why that vehicle was in the collection. Moving on was the black truck that Spitfire befriended. It was a GMC Topkick with customizations so that it was higher off the ground. Something about it made me take a hesitant step back as I would if one of my guy friends was in an extremely bad mood. The last vehicle in the line-up was the 18-wheeler.

"Very nice. It's a Peterbilt" Popi muttered when he saw me focusing my attention on the gigantic truck. I had forgotten that Popi was friends with a lot of truckers. The Peterbilt was a royal blue with custom painted flames on the front and had lights running along the edges. I jumped when there was a sudden movement from beneath. Popi didn't pay it any mind except for giving a short snort. If he wasn't worried than I had nothing to worry about. Lowering myself so that I was lying down on my stomach on the rubber mats, I peered beneath the undercarriage. The palm of my hand hit my forehead.

"Kobe! Get out from under the truck" The Doberman's ears went out to the sides before he did a commando crawl out from beneath the Peterbilt, leaving behind his toy.

"Kobe, get your toy" I sighed. The young dog happily bounded back beneath the truck and would have stayed there with his toy if I didn't call him back out. Once he was out, he trotted over to the Benz and collapsed next to its front wheel, chewing on his toy while keeping an amber eye on me.

Popi was still sternly examining the cars. There was no telling if he was going to tell me to contact Speedemon and tell him to take the cars back. In all honesty, I wasn't quite sure how I would respond to that. The cars kind of creeped me out but at the same time I was curious about them.

"It's strange. I was watching all day for these cars to arrive. And the ten minutes I was inside dealing with a phone solicitor is when they must have come because I never saw anyone on this ranch apart from you and me" I just shrugged my shoulders, unsure of what to say. Popi was talking to himself more than me. "There's something…off about these vehicles. Are you sure this guy isn't a drug dealer or something?" he asked, looking over at me with a quirked eyebrow.

"Maybe we should call the police and ask them to look up the plates" I said to avoid the question. Popi glared at me. He hated the police.

"You know that no damned police officer will have anything to do with my property or my business on my property while I'm still alive" he growled. I grimaced at his tone. Popi _really_ hated the police, especially the local law enforcement. There had been a couple of close calls where I had to step in to hold back the old man. With a shake of his head, Popi told me he was going to start getting dinner ready. I followed him, dragging Kobe away from the cars, so that I could help Popi get dinner ready.

* * *

The next morning I woke up bright and early like I did every morning. There was a bit of June gloom which was a bit odd since it was mid-July but I knew that the cold weather would burn off with the progression of the day. The moment that I opened the Northern doors, there was a chorus of neighs. 

"Yeah, yeah" I laughed. "Ya'll only love me cuz I'm about to feed you" I was answered with more hungry neighs. The horses contentedly munched on their breakfast, seemingly having gotten over the vehicles on the other side of the barn aisle from them. Horses could be so fickle sometimes but I was just glad that I wouldn't have to battle them every time they came or went out of the stable. While the horses ate, I began cleaning their stalls. It was strange though because I felt that every movement I made was being watched. I was able to deal with it until I was cleaning Pago's stall. An uneasy feeling filled me and I knew that someone was watching me from behind. I whirled around but I only saw Kobe sitting there, watching me with his head cocked to the side. He had a quizzical glint in his eye and he cocked his head to the other side.

"Great, even the dog thinks I'm losing it" I sighed.

Somehow I managed to push the strange feeling from my head. I put Taffy, Apache, and the new horse, Kamikaze, out in the pastures while leaving the stallions in the stable. I was going to ride my four boys and I didn't feel like walking back and forth to the pastures to get them. Pago was my first ride and I led him out from his stall and right in front of the vehicles. A support beam that was between the front bumpers of the Hummer and Topkick had a long chain with it and a snap at the end. I took the chain and snapped it the side of Pago's halter and reached for the opposite side of the aisle where another chain was attached. I snapped that chain to the other side of Pago's halter so that he was standing in the middle of the barn aisle, facing the Southern doors. He had plenty of freedom of movement but he was unable to walk off while I got him saddled. The majestic black stallion gave a wary snort at being so close to the cars and refused to look away but other than that he was perfectly fine. The strange feeling was doubled as I started brushing Pago's silky coat. I just worked even harder, hoping to distract myself. When I bent down to check Pago's hooves for rocks, something caught my eye. I dropped the stallion's hoof and stormed over to the Topkick, kneeling down in front of it so that I could see beneath. Two puppy dog eyes stared up at me from beneath. I angrily pointed my finger and glared down at the dog. Kobe sulked when he came from beneath the truck, dragging his big paws as his head hung low from his shoulders. Suddenly he darted back beneath the truck so he could grab his toy before I could object. I had no idea why I hated the thought of my dog being beneath the cars but all I knew was that the last place I wanted him was under them. The Doberman sulked into Pago's open stall and curled up in a corner, refusing to look at me. Shaking my head, I patted Pago's shoulder when I returned to taking care of him. For the first time since I took him from his stall, the Frisian turned toward me and playfully lipped at my hand. I smiled and ran my fingers through his long forelock. It didn't take much longer for me to finish tacking Pago up and the ride was quick. The ebony stallion went perfectly for me, doing everything I asked of him. A while ago I had heard a saying that horses were 'Poetry in motion' and I couldn't help but to agree.

It felt so good to be relaxed when I led Pago back into the stable. He stood patiently as I untacked him and groomed him again, getting rid of the dust and sweat marks. When I led him back into his stall though, Kobe wasn't there. The Doberman wasn't in the lounge either. My heart dropped at the thought of my having chided the dog. I didn't remember a single time when he wasn't there in the barn when I was taking care of the horses. With a quick look, I discovered that he wasn't even beneath the cars. I whistled for him and from the corner of my eye I saw a movement from inside one of the cars. I gave another whistle and to my utter horror, Kobe's pointed head popped up from the driver's seat of the Benz. I stared at him dumbfounded until I found my voice.

"Kobe! Get _out_ of the damn car!" I bolted over to the silver sports car and yanked open the door, careful not to hit the Solstice next to it. Once the dog was out, I slammed the door behind him. He was quirky, there was no doubt about that, but I had always known he was smart since I had trained him to do so many things. But I had no idea that he was smart enough to figure out how to open a car door. I backed up from him, my hands raised up in surrender.

"I don't even want to know how you got yourself in there. You win Kobe but if you scratch the leather, I'm locking you in the lounge" From that moment, Kobe never left the cars. He was either underneath them or within the Benz or the Solstice. It wasn't until I was tacking up Terremoto that I discovered how Kobe got in. All he did was nudge at the car's door handles and he would somehow get them open. As if by magic, the door would swing open just enough for Kobe to nuzzle is nose in to open it further so he could fit. When he was inside, the door would swing closed but not all the way so that the dog could get back out. I was flabbergasted.

Things only got weirder between the animals and the cars. Slowly I came to the realization that the horses were no longer afraid of the vehicles. They were still wary and would go no where near the automobiles but they were no longer petrified. Spitfire was the only one to cause trouble which really wasn't a big surprise. He once again tried to kick the black truck so I ended up having to tack him up in his stall so he wouldn't be tempted by being so close to his now arch-enemy.

A week passed with this bizarre behavior. At one point when I had let Taffy wonder freely around the ranch, I came into the barn leading Pago and Danny to find her nuzzling the Hummer. If it was possible, she had actually formed an attachment to the SUV. Each time she'd pass it, she let out a happy little neigh. Things were getting more and more bizarre and I realized that even before the radio would randomly turn on and start flipping through stations. I was just about to do some serious investigations on the cars a week after they arrived when my chance of having a normal, calm summer was shattered.

**Author's Note: Yup, Jazz is back. I'll explain that later in the story. And his color is red now cuz I did some research and found some stuff out about that. I'm not going to continue with what I found in my research cuz i know how some ppl hate spoilers.**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: Ok, this is gonna be the last time I say it cuz I keep forgetting it in the others. I don't own Transformers or any of their characters. I just have Quicksilver and Faith and Kobe.**_

**_Author's Note: Just to let ya'll know, i've been doing these crazy updates because I've already written up to Chapter 12 and I want to post as much as possible since school starts next week. So two more chapters tomorrow and then I'll update as much as I possibly can. And with my lovely habit of procrastination when it comes to school, I can almost promise that this story won't be forgotten._**

_The lights flashed in the gymnasium, making a strange feeling spread through my body. Music blared out of the massive speakers and other students pressed against me. In turn, I pressed against my partner. He wrapped his arms tighter around me, pulling me against his body. Our bodies swayed together in perfect harmony, not only with one another but with the music as well. My hands ran down the rough material of the front of his tux. There had been no doubt in my mind when I told him that I would love to go to prom with him. Looking up, I saw my date's dark eyes shining as a deep laugh came from his chest. He leaned slightly down and pressed his lips against mine. It was our first kiss._

* * *

The moment Popi saw me, a stern look crossed over his face. I acted like nothing was wrong as I continued about my work in the stable. I knew the moment that I had put the bikini top on that Popi would object but it had been so incredibly hot that I figured a bikini top would be cooler than anything else besides stripping down to my birthday suit. That and this way I could get a nice tan.

"Faith…" The older man's voice was calm but heavy with warning. I set the broom I had been sweeping with against the wall and squared my shoulders before facing Popi.

"Come on, Popi. It's so hot and I'm tired of having to smell by B.O. This is so much cooler for me _and_ I get a nice tan" Popi watched me with a critical eye.

"Any other day Faith. Go inside and put something else on" By some miracle I held back a sigh as I went to my room. Going through my clothes I groaned when I realized I needed to do laundry. There was nothing clean except for one tank top. I held it in my hands and then raised my eyes to the heavens.

"I'm sorry Lord, but if you're going to tempt me like this, I've gotta take the bait. Please, just look away"

Popi nearly had a heart attack when he saw me skipping into the barn wearing a Hooter's tank top. I just pretended like nothing was the matter and I was wearing some average t-shirt. Glancing over at Popi, I saw how he was unsure if he should laugh or yell at me. Eventually he just gave up and walked out of the barn muttering something about teenagers under his breath. It wasn't until after he left that the radio I had in the lounge flipped on, its volume escalating.

_Show off that body you got _it sang. It didn't get past the first lyric before I was able to switch it to another station. I should never have accepted that XM radio that my friend had bought me. I came out of the lounge scowling and I let out a cry when the volume once again rose on its own as it switched from the R&B station I had put it on, to a rock station. I was frozen as the station switched back and forth between the rock station and a hip hop station as if two people were arguing over which they wanted to listen to. Fed up and thoroughly freaked out, I grabbed the radio, took out the batteries and flung it out of the stable. I stormed back in only to hear the song _Where Is The Love?_ coming from the Solstice. Kobe was sitting in the passenger seat, staring at the dashboard in curious confusion. I let out a frustrated cry, clenching my hands into fists. Looks like God wasn't about to let me get away with wearing the Hooters tank top.

Just as I was about to grab Kobe out of the Solstice, hands wrapped around my waist and hoisted me off of me feet. I screamed out and twisted around just enough to send my heel into the groin of my attacker. A pained cry and a string of profanity rang out as I was dropped to the floor. My best friend stood behind me, doubled over in pain.

"Nice to see you too, Faith" he groaned as he slowly sank to the floor. I just stared at the African-American teenager.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The question went unanswered for several minutes until Antony was able to straighten up, his hands still covering his groin.

"I came here to surprise you. Turns out that was kinda a bad idea" His normally deep voice was slightly high-pitched. He gained none of my sympathy but all of my anger.

"You know you shouldn't be here" I said as I walked away. I heard a groan and a muttered prayer of 'Why me, Lord?' before Antony jogged after me and grabbed my wrist before I could go any further.

"You know why I'm here and admit it, you're happy"

"Do I look happy?" I said with a sneer.

"No, just perturbed"

"Oh, good job with the big word" Antony's hand tightened on my wrist and his voice suddenly became serious.

"You know why I'm here and you also know I'm not leaving you. I'm not going to let you get hurt by him again" My anger instantly vanished. I would never admit it, but I did feel better with Antony around. The moment that he realized that he had won, Antony's mood changed.

"So Snowflake, where's Shaq?" I rolled my eyes as I playfully poked Antony in his well-defined abs.

"His name is Kobe and he's in the-"

"Holy shit!" Antony cried as he finally noticed the cars. Kobe perked up in the Solstice and jumped out the moment he saw Antony. The puppy started running around the stable like crazy as Antony drooled over the Solstice.

"Can I-"

"No"

"But-"

"No"

"Please-"

"No"

Antony's hand hovered over the red hood. I knew he'd be all over it but if he even touched it with a fingernail, he'd lose his hand. After his last experience with a car, my friend was banned for life. If I had known he'd be coming I would have never agreed to taking in Speedemon's cars. Now I had to babysit the eighteen-year old to make sure nobody went out on any joy rides. I had my work cut out for me.

"How did you….these are…you…" Antony turned around, completely bewildered. His jaw was moving up and down like he wanted to say something but no words came out.

"They belong to a friend and you go nowhere near them. If I find out that you're even dreaming about them, I'll have you neutered, got it?" Antony's face dropped and his hand instinctively went back to cover his groin.

"Got it" he mumbled. He reminded me of Kobe when I had first chided him about being around the vehicles. I finished sweeping the barn aisle as fast as I could while Antony wound his way through the autos. My friend was a complete city boy; he was dressed in name brand jeans and neatly pressed and an extremely oversized polo with thick beige, white, and black stripes. There was the slight scent of the cologne I had bought him as a graduation present. His hair was in a tidy buzz cut and I knew he probably had it done right before he came here. I was just about finished when Antony was peering into the Solstice's driver's window where Kobe was once again seated when music suddenly switched on. The black teen jumped and raised his hands, making a show of how he had nothing to do with the sudden music. I rolled my eyes and told him it had been going on like that all morning.

"Hey, at least it's on good music" he said with a crooked grin. The radio was playing a popular hip-hop song. Antony started to dance to the music and it was hard not to laugh with him. He was an incredible dancer and he got more into the movements as he came into the barn aisle. Trying to ignore him, I kept on sweeping as he whirled around me, his body moving with incredible fluidity and grace despite his football player build. When he tried to grab me and make me dance, I poked him away with the end of the broom. He was relentless though and he almost had his way when the music abruptly turned off. A few moments later, Popi came through the stable doors. He eyed us but then he walked up and welcomed Antony.

"See why I didn't want you wearing the bikini?" he asked in a low tone. Antony immediately perked up upon hearing that.

"Wow, so you graduated from a bikini to the Hooters shirt. Is good little Faith starting to go bad?" he asked with a cocky grin.

"If I were to ever go bad it would be because of you"

"Hey, we haven't seen each other since graduation over a month ago. You're going bad has nothing to do with me"

"I'm not going bad"

"Sure Faith, hold onto what little goodness you have left in ya. I'll be waiting for you when you finally turn…_to the dark side_" The last part he had snuck up behind me and hissed in my ear while holding my waist. Too bad he was able to dodge the right hook I had aimed just for him.

* * *

I stared Antony down, daring him to repeat what he just said. It had only been one day since he arrived and he was already causing trouble. He stood there next to Taffy's stall with the biggest smirk on his face, showing how proud he was of himself. He knew exactly what he said and what effect it would have on me.

"What?" he asked, acting as if he didn't know how he just insulted my horse. "I was just wondering why you're always going on about how cool these horses are. They're all a bunch of expensive and dirty meat bags" I glared at Antony and anyone who didn't know the two of us would have guessed that I was about to kill my friend. But we had played this game countless times before and would keep on playing it even while we wheeled ourselves down the aisles of our nursing home.

"And you're saying this like you have something better than my horses"  
"I do. It's called a motorcycle. If I remember my history right, it replaced

the meat bags"

"Oh so you stayed awake during history class just long enough to hear that tidbit of information"

"Let me tell you another _tidbit of information_. I could smoke you and your horses' big asses on my motorcycle" At this point Antony and I were standing so close that our faces were inches apart. I had to stand on the tips of my toes so that I could look him squarely in the eyes.

"Wanna bet?" I asked with a wicked smile.

"Yeah, I do" My friend and I stared each other down.

"Fine then. I bet that Taffy and I could beat you at pole bending"

"What the hell is 'pole bending'? I bet there's no such thing"

"I only bet on one thing at a time. So do we have an agreement?" I asked as I offered my hand after I took a step back. Antony looked at my face, then my hand, and then back to my face. Thinking it over he began smiling as he fiercely took my offered hand and shook it.

"Five hundred dollars, up front cash, to the winner"

"Agreed"

The money was pinned to a cork board in the lounge. Antony and I had carefully counted it before we put it there, not trusting for one or the other to hold onto it. Taffy was calm as I got her ready but the moment she saw me setting up the poles, she began getting jittery. Now I sat on her, waiting for Antony to finish showing off on his bike. I was starting to get annoyed as he rode tight circles around Taffy and me.

"Will you quit it?" I yelled as I hurled the core of the apple I had been eating at him. It hit him neatly in the head, making a satisfactory thunking sound even though he wasn't wearing a helmet. It showed how much brains he had. Antony skidded to a stop beside Taffy and I, covering all of us in a layer of dust. I coughed, waving my hand to get the dust away from my face.

"Are you done being a jerk?"

"I'm never done being a jerk, you know that" he laughed as he revved his motorcycle's engine. I sighed, rolling my eyes before I began explaining the rules. The seven vertical poles were spaced out evenly down the length of the arena and there was plenty of maneuvering room.

"Okay, the point of this is to, obviously, get the fastest time. Start here at this line and then go all the way down the length of the poles and when you get to the furthest one, make a tight turn. Start weaving in and out between the poles and when you get to the pole closest to us, make another tight turn and weave your way back through the poles to the far side of the arena. Once you get to the far end, make your final turn and make a run straight back here. Start when the whistle blows and if you knock any poles down, you lose. Got it, or is it too hard for your tiny mind to grasp?" Antony smirked at me with annoyance. I knew that he understood the course but he wasn't positive about it. He would want me to go through it first so that he could make sure he wouldn't do the wrong thing. I was proven right when he revved his engine and motioned me forward to the starting/ finishing line that I had drawn in the dirt. Two automatic timers were on either side of Taffy and I; the moment that we would pass between them, they would automatically begin the stopwatch and they would stop when we passed over the line again to finish. I used the machines to practice whenever I and the horses trained for speed events and I preferred using them than getting into an argument on whether or not someone cheated when timing the course.

We agreed about starting on the line and I halted Taffy with the tips of her hooves touching it. I began squeezing my legs around her while pulling back on the reins, urging her forward while still holding her back. Taffy knew the cue well and she began dancing in place with excitement. She tossed her head when I started asking her if she was ready. Her ears were as far forward as possible, locking onto the furthest pole at the end of the line. She strained against the bridle, begging me to let her go. When I let out a long kissing noise, the mare took off so fast that I would have flipped right out of the saddle if I wasn't holding onto a chunk of her mane. The poles were an absolute blur as Taffy galloped to the furthest one. I held on tightly to the saddle horn to keep myself in settled into the saddle so I wouldn't knock Taffy off balance. She turned so fast and so tightly that the pole was inches from hitting my head. With great ease and speed, she weaved her way through the poles. I used the reins and my legs to steer her, yelling 'over!' to guide her around the obstacles. She knew this course so well though, that my main concern was holding onto the swift horse. We came to the last pole, the one closest to the starting line, and made another hairpin turn. Taffy's powerful hindquarters and agile movements had us flying around the pole, barely having slowed down to make the turn. Once again we weaved our way through the poles to the furthest one, the one we made our original turn around. She wiped around it again and the moment we were done with the turn, I leaned forward over her neck and squeezed my legs as tightly as I could while making the kissing sound. The mare switched to a whole new gear, her legs churning in a whirlwind beneath us. We thundered past the finish line and came to a skidding stop inches from the front wheel of the bike, showering Antony with dirt. I could feel my elation at Taffy's speed and I knew that we had won this bet. Antony's bike may have been faster than Taffy, but no one could beat her agility. Giving the mare a pat which let her and Antony know how well she did, I walked her over to the timers. They read 0:21:36.

Antony, however, didn't think the same. He cracked his knuckles and then moved his bike to the starting line.

"Start thinking up suggestions on what I should do with that five hundred dollars, okay?" he said with a wink. When he gunned it, sand sprayed everywhere. I winced as the cloud of dirt settled upon Taffy and me. I made a mental note to cover his precious bike with dirt that night. It didn't matter to me that he was just returning the favor for my covering him with dirt. I watched with amusement as Antony flew toward the furthest pole. Despite his cockiness he was going much slower than he normally would. But after the first turn, he gained some confidence. He weaved through the poles, gaining speed with each maneuver. He made the second turn with ease, putting his foot down on the ground to balance himself and then hit the throttle with everything he had. That was his downfall. The bike began wobbling through the poles, more of a fight to avoid losing control than anything else. But Antony knew how close he was to winning the bet so he recklessly took the last turn. The bike began wobbling so hard from side to side that I was sure that he was going to crash. I cried out, mad at myself for not forcing him to wear a helmet. By some miracle Antony was able to jump off the bike and land on his feet before it crashed to the ground. I swung off and ran over to my friend, Taffy trotting behind me. Once I realized that Antony was all right I smacked him upside his head.

"Wear a helmet next time, you idiot!" I chided him. Antony rubbed his head were I had hit it.

"Oh yeah, like how you are?" he glowered, pointing a finger at my helmet-less head. I was about to reply when Taffy jumped in fright, knocking into me and then into Antony. Quickly I looked over my shoulder to see what was wrong with her when I noticed a large shadow sliding into the Southern doors of the barn. It was hard to tell what it was because of how fast it had disappeared but it must have been a bit over fifteen feet tall. When I turned back to face Antony, he was crooning over his fallen motorcycle. He must have not seen the shadow.

Shaking my head in confusion I convinced myself that it was merely a cloud or an airplane flying over head. There was also the possibility that after everything that had just happened, I just imagined what I saw. Something in the back of my head told me that what I saw was real and worthy of my attention but I ignored it. Instead I focused my attention on Antony and forced an easygoing façade.

"Should we even bother checking the timers?" I asked coyly, barely able to hide the nervousness in my voice. My friend gave me a dirty look over his shoulder and then hauled his bike to its two wheels. With a hefty sigh, he began walking it back to the barn. Taking a tight grip on Taffy's reins, I led her as I followed Antony. I stopped briefly to turn off the timer which had kept running since Antony never crossed back over the finish line. When I resumed walking back to the barn it only took a few steps before I was violently pulled back. Taffy stared at me from where she was standing, refusing to go forward. I came to her head and began stroking the soft coat just behind her elegant ear. The mare pressed her nose into my stomach and sighed. I looked over my shoulder at the barn as I ran my hand down her neck. There was nothing I could do at the moment but as soon as Popi came home I would talk to him and ask if I could put the horses out to pasture for a few nights. I would let Taffy have free range over the ranch and I knew that she would be sleeping below my bedroom window. And if Popi didn't agree, which was possible because of the odd rumors of a mountain lion going around, then I would sleep in the barn with the horses. It was absolutely the last thing I wanted to do, but if there was trouble with the horses at least I would be right there to help, or protect, them if need be.

Antony was in the stable and cleaning the dust off his bike with a rag he had found. When he heard Taffy's hoof steps on the rubber mats, he looked up and rolled his eyes before he disappeared in the lounge. He came back out with money in hand. We met half way down the barn aisle, just in front of the Pontiac Solstice. I forced myself to act like nothing was wrong. Antony and I may bicker like an old married couple but we still cared greatly for each other and he would drive both of us crazy if he started worrying about me. With exaggerated movements, he counted the money.

"All five hundred. I didn't even take a twenty. Happy now?" His ego had taken a major blow at not only being beaten by his friend and her horse but also having crashed his bike.

"Nice try next time" I told him with a forced smile that was so good that I scared myself. I never lied and right then I felt like I was performing the worst betrayal.

"_Tsch,_ I want to see you and that horse of yours beat me cuz next time, I'm gonna be in a monster like this" he said as he placed his hand on the Pontiac Solstice's hood. As if the hood was a stovetop, Antony snatched his hand away. He stared at the car with narrowed eyes but when he saw how I was watching him, he went back to his normal self. "And next time," he continued as if nothing had just happened, "the stakes are going to be higher". He raised his eyebrows and pointed up to emphasize his point.

"Maybe I should save this five hundred. That way I can go on a major shopping spree when I win next time" Antony rolled his eyes and walked back over to his bike. I untacked Taffy in the crossties, taking great care in annoying my friend further. "Of course that cute top I've been eyeing might not be there by that time. It's an adorable little bodice that enhances _all_ of my good features. I'm sure the local boys would love it if I bought it" Antony gave me the dirtiest glare I had ever seen just as I knew he would. He denied jealously, his defense being that he intimately knew what boys thought and that was something he never wanted me to know about. In all honesty he had nothing to be jealous about since I wasn't interested in being in a relationship, and especially not interested in hooking up with anyone, but it was still fun to goad my friend.

**_Author's Note (again): The first song was "Show Me Tha Money" by Petey Pablo and "Where Is The Love?" is by the Black-Eyed Peas._**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Author's Note: From here on out, there is some language, especially in the next chapter. Nothing too bad, but still. This is a fillerish chapter but don't worry, Antony gets everyone in way over their heads in the next chapter._**

Popi came home just after dusk and I decided to ask him while we were making dinner in the kitchen. Just as I expected, Popi instantly told me that I couldn't leave the horses in the pasture. It may have been different if when he had asked why, I had given him a solid reason other than 'I have a bad feeling'. It took several long minutes to scrounge up the bravery to ask if I could spend the night in the stable. Popi was hesitant but I eventually convinced him to let me. By that time, Antony had walked in on the conversation. He made a face when Popi told him that I would be sleeping in the stable but my friend didn't say anything. It wasn't until later when I was in my room gathering what I would need that Antony approached me. He was leaning against the threshold of the door, his eyes narrowed and arms crossed over his chest. I hadn't seen him come over to my room but I knew he was there when Kobe started wagging his stumpy tail.

"I don't want you sleeping in the stable tonight" he told me, his voice stern. I continued folding the thick blanket without looking over at him. I knew he had noticed something strange in the stable but I had been hoping that if he didn't bring anything up, I could just pretend that nothing was amiss. But he had brought it up so there was no way I could stay in my peaceful world of denial.

"You've noticed it too," I muttered as I sat down on my bed next to Kobe. The Doberman began assaulting my face with licks. Not in the mood for the affection but not having the heart to push him away, I compromised with the dog by scratching his head. Antony came into my room and sat beside me on my bed.

"Every time I go into the stable, whether or not the horses are in there, I feel like I'm being watched. When I wheeled my bike in after our bet, I could have swore that I heard someone chuckling but as soon as I started looking around for it, it stopped"

"And earlier, with the Solstice?" I hesitantly asked. Antony shook his head and slumped forward.

"That's what worries me the most. When I put my hand on the hood, it was warm like it had just come back from a drive. I know I couldn't have imagined it because it actually kinda burned my hand" He held out his palm as if it prove what he said. I didn't even bother looking for the burns. I took it in mine, rubbing my thumb along the back of his hand. My pale skin contrasted greatly against his dark skin but at the same time they seemed to compliment each other. Antony wrapped an arm around my side, holding me close. We sat there comforting each other for what seemed like hours until suddenly Antony rose to his feet and made for the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked, thoroughly confused. He never turned around as he replied.

"To get my things. I'm sleeping with you tonight" As soon as he uttered the words he froze, just in front of the doors. He turned around to look at me with wide eyes. I couldn't help but to smile. "That wasn't what I meant" he stuttered. "I-I mean we'll be sleeping together but not…together" I waved him off and told him I understood. Grateful, and slightly embarrassed, he quickly went off to his room.

Kobe ran ahead of us, excited over the unexpected visit to the stable. He waited in front of the Northern doors, looking over his shoulder at me with his big brown puppy dog eyes. I smiled, patting his head but suddenly I froze. Looking down I saw the lights flickering from the large slit between the doors and the ground. My hand hovered over the notch of the door as I watched in amazement. The lights were random but fast, reminding me of strobe lights. I listened intently for any sounds inside but there were none. I was visibly shaken as I stared at the lights. I was brought out of my shock by Antony's hand on my shoulder. He gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Why don't you go back inside and I'll spend the night with the horses"

"Like hell I will" I quietly snapped, my voice barely above a whisper. "We're a team. You're the one who said 'United we stand, divided we fall' all those times, remember?" Antony grunted and rolled his eyes. I knew he was regretting giving me the pep talk his football coach would use on him and the team. Composing ourselves I began opening the door. The moment that the opening was wide enough, Kobe squeezed through. He didn't seem affected at all by the flickering lights. Looking at the far end of the stable, I saw Spitfire leaning as far as he could over the stall door, his thick upper lip stretched and barely touching the light switch. He peered at me from the corner of his eye, his ear flicked in my direction. He was frozen for a moment and then flipped the light off with his lip before retreating into his stall. I used the light switch at my end of the stable to turn the lights back on. Spitfire eyed me from inside his stall, waiting for my reaction. I wanted to be angry with the stallion but I was so relieved that it wasn't something else that I just shook my head and went over to the feed room to grab some duct tape. As Antony set himself up on the coach as I duct taped the light switch in place to keep Spitfire from playing with it. When the stallion realized that he wasn't in trouble, he poked his head over the stall door and nuzzled my shoulder. I took his big head between my hands and stared him in the eye.

"The next time you scare me like that, you're going to the glue factory" I told him as I gave his forelock a playful tug. Spitfire lost interest and went back into his stall, trying to find some other form of trouble to get into. I glanced over at the cars and got an eerie feeling.

"Hey Faith," Antony called from the lounge. "You've got mail!" He said the last part in a robotic voice and I knew he was smiling at how funny he thought he was. I groaned and walked into the lounge. Antony was sitting at the desk, his hand holding up his chin. I shoved him out of the seat so I could check my mail. It was from Speedemon. I chided myself for not realizing that it would be him. Now Antony would see the messages and probably give me hell. After all, he had no idea that the friend whose cars I was taking care of was someone I met on the Internet and had never actually met in person.

**I just wanted to let you know that it's ok with me if you took the cars out for a drive. It would probably be good for the engines and all. You'd enjoy the Benz and the Solstice the most. The keys are in the center consoles of each of the cars. Also, if you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate it if you got the dust off somehow by hosing the cars off or just taking a rag to them. Don't worry about the GMC truck though, that's just the crappy car we would use everyday and it doesn't need any attention. Don't worry about it if it's an inconvenience though. I really appreciate with you helping me out as it is so please don't feel obligated to cleaning them or anything.**

**Speedemon**

As soon as I was done reading, I turned slowly to look at Antony. His eyes had narrowed into dangerous slits and I could almost feel the anger he was giving off. He returned my gaze and raised his eyebrows as if asking, 'What the hell are you doing?' The boy had some serious stupid moments but he was by no means stupid. All he had to do was read that one message from Speedemon and he figured everything out.

"Don't…say…_anything_" I practically growled as I pointed a finger at him.

"Now why would I say anything?" he asked sarcastically. He left the lounge and I scrambled to catch up with him. I was worried that he was about to do something stupid or even worse, do something to the cars. I was relieved to see that he had only been in search of Kobe's tennis ball. Antony settled himself against the closed Northern doors and began hurling the ball down the length of the barn aisle. Like a streak of black lightning, Kobe was chasing after the fleck of neon green. Deciding to leave Antony alone for a little while, I began arranging my blankets in Taffy's stall. Besides Terremoto and Apache, she was the only horse I trusted enough to sleep in their stall. She seemed curious as I was laying out the blanket that would protect me from the scratchy shavings that served as bedding for the horse. A second blanket would keep me warm and lastly was my pillow. I would be comfortable enough since I was wearing sweatpants, a tank top, and then a sweatshirt. It was stupid of me but I didn't bother wearing any shoes. Once I was done, I leaned over the stall door so I could watch Antony and Kobe. My friend was obviously upset about the whole Speedemon and cars issue as he hurled the tennis ball with all his worth. Kobe was just ecstatic that he could have someone to play ball with. No one had been this good of a thrower since Quicksilver. Instantly I grimaced at the thought of the silver Autobot. It had helped that Antony kept me occupied but Quicksilver's absence still hurt. There was no doubt in my mind that he and Antony would have gotten on well but there was no chance that they would ever meet. I pushed Quicksilver from my mind and forced myself to listen to the bouncing of the ball against the Southern wooden doors and the soft padding of Kobe's paws against the rubber mats. I concentrated on the rhythmic sounds and the notion that I still had the horses, Kobe, Popi, Antony, and even Speedemon although I was mad at the mystery guy for not staying long enough for me to see him. Of course the last mentioned was close to becoming the sworn enemy of Antony. Suddenly a large bang woke me from my reverie. Not sure what had just happened, I looked around and saw Kobe pulling himself to his feet next to the Southern doors. Apparently he had been so focused on getting the ball that he had run into the door. I rolled my eyes but when I was about to let myself out of the stall, I froze. It was faint, so faint that it was possible that it was only my imagination, but there was distinct laughter. And it sounded like it was more than one person. I glanced around but the only other person around was Antony who was not in the mood to be laughing. I bit the corner of my lip and thought briefly of the radio but it was still strewn outside, battery-less. A strange feeling ran up my spine as it felt as if someone, or possible more than just one person, was waiting for something. Expecting something to happen. I suddenly regretted deciding to sleep in the stable.

"You know," Antony called as he took the ball from Kobe who had bounded back to him as if he hadn't been laid flat out by a door, "this Speedemon guy could be one of those Internet pervs" Grateful for the distraction I went over to the Southern door and sat against it. Antony proceeded throwing the ball to me, letting it bounce once before it reached me. Kobe dashed back in forth, completely focused on trying to catch the flying ball. For the Doberman this was better than chasing birds because he could actually catch and attack this flying object without getting yelled at.

"I really don't think so" I made a face when the sopping wet drool from the ball covered my hand. I quickly threw it before it grossed me out even further or before Kobe collided into me.

"How do you know? I mean this guy could be a girl"

"You're jealous" I said flatly. "And besides, do those cars really look like they belong to a girl? They have 'boy' written all over them"

"I'm not jealous. I'm just stating the possibilities"

"You're afraid that I'm going to fall for this guy"

"You wouldn't fall for him" The irritated sound in Antony's voice was like the songs of the siren's drawing in the ill-fated sailors. I couldn't help but to start teasing him.

"Sure, by the sounds of it any girl, or guy in fact, would. He's smart, rich, and polite"

"Yeah? Well I have two things that outrank all of that put together"

"And what would that be Casanova?"

"A handsome face and a kick ass body. For all you know, this guy could be a hunchback" I couldn't help but to snort. Antony always had a problem with his ego and it always seemed to pop up somehow. "No, I'm serious. You have no idea what this guy looks like. He really could be a perv or something. He could be another stalker" The last sentence, Antony said gently. Unlike our earlier bickering, he had no intention of provoking me. The topic of stalkers was a sensitive one for me and always would be. The fact that Antony brought up the possibility of this guy being a stalker meant that he was seriously concerned.

"I don't think he's a stalker, Antony"

"How do you know? I mean…" Antony's voice trailed off. He knew that he couldn't go any further. I pushed my fear down so I could keep on talking. The last thing I needed was to have another episode. The tennis ball arced through the air and I caught it easily. I paused, holding it for a moment as I thought. Kobe was standing next to me, looking confusedly between the ball and my face.

"I have a feeling. And besides, a friend of mine helped me out by looking up this guy. My friend told me it was cool" Antony was silent and he was too far away for me to really look at his expression. He knew I had him beat and if he were to go any further with the topic, he would have to deal a low blow. So instead he decided to change the subject…kind of.

"You know those cars could have been the result of a drug deal. Might even still have some good stuff stowed away inside of them somewhere" The idea wasn't even worth responding to. "I think we need to check it out" This got my attention.

"If you go anywhere near those cars I swear to God that I'll-"

"Hey! How about some trust? I was just thinking that we take this guy up on his offer and take 'em out for a drive. You know, make sure everything is in working order"

"First of all, how is that going to help us figure out if there's drugs stored away in them, which there _aren't_, and second, I told you that there's no way you're going to go near those cars. And you _know_ that there's a good reason for it"

"What? That little incident?"

"The car _exploded_! How can you call that a _little_ _incident_?" Even though I was too far away, I knew Antony was rolling his eyes. He always proclaimed that he and his car were caught unawares in that drag race. I of course knew better than to believe him. I'm still not sure how he managed to do it, but there was nothing left of the car except for the charred frame.

"I need to take care of a few things in town and I'll take the Benz. _You _will stay here and keep an eye on things"

"Bullshit I will! There's no way that I'm going to let you drive that perv's car alone. For all we know, he could be using it to videotape you or something"

"Antony, let it go"

"I will if I come with"

"No"

"Why?" he threw the ball with such force that when it hit, the door shook slightly.

"Because then you'll start bothering me to drive it. And there's no way in hell that you're driving these cars" Antony paused for a moment, trying to think of a compromise that he could deal with and might even get him in the driver's seat. Finally he gave up with a sigh.

"Fine, I won't bug you about driving but I know that Popi wouldn't approve of you driving that thing alone. And maybe we could work something out. Like maybe I could follow with the-"

"You're not driving the Solstice"

"I wasn't going to-"

"Or the trucks" I cut him off, knowing exactly what he had been aiming for.

"You just want to save them for yourself. That's some gratitude you have for your best friend" he glowered, trying to break me down.

"Oh, just shove it Antony"

My friend got up in a huff and announced that he was going to bed. He acted like he was mad but I knew he wasn't because he gave me a quick hug before he went into the lounge. I sighed and sat for a while, well after Antony must have fallen asleep. Kobe, who was panting heavily, dragged his paws over to me and laid himself over my outstretched legs. He gnawed at the ball as I sorted through my thoughts, twiddling with the strings of my hooded sweatshirt. Antony was right in that something was weird with the cars. I didn't think it was necessarily that they were filled with drugs but that weird feeling of being watched started when they arrived. Speedemon had promised that there wasn't anything special about them but then again a guy who wouldn't tell me his name was probably big on secrecy. I gazed over the line of cars but my gaze fell on the semi-truck that I was sitting in front of. It was simply enormous and I don't think that its bright paint job had to do with its presence. It was if it demanded attention and respect. But it looked like any other semi I had ever seen. The only real difference was the strange symbol above its enormous grill. A red face-like drawing that I don't remember ever seeing before. All of the cars had some version of the symbol, the most noticeable the giant outline of the symbol on the tailgate of the truck. The most logical reason was that it was Speedemon's symbol and he had his cars customized to have it. Another oddity that I noticed the first time but hadn't given much thought to it again was how strange this collection of cars was. Most car collectors were interested in vintage cars or sports cars but I had never seen a collection that consisted of two sports cars, a modified truck, a Search & Rescue Hummer, and, the most bizarre of all, a semi-truck. It made no sense at all. But of course people with more money than they can deal with rarely did anything that made sense. No longer wanting to think of it, I moved my legs so that Kobe would get of me so I could get up. The dog looked at me with sad brown eyes and then sulked away with the ball still in his mouth. He went and walked to the left front wheel of the Benz convertible. He pawed at it, as if asking the car to play with him. This was the biggest shock of all for me. I watched him with amazement as he finally stopped, disappointment showing through his body language, he plopped himself down next to the tire. He continued chewing on the ball.

Trying to act as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, I undid the duct tape on the light switch so I could turn the lights off. After I did, however, I eyed Spitfire who was staring at me with extreme interest. It was nearly pitch black in the stable but I could see that mischievous glimmer in his eyes. I reapplied the duct tape to make sure Spitfire wouldn't start amusing himself in the middle of the night by wasting the electricity and scaring me to death. I walked down the barn aisle a few stalls, feeling where I was going by running my hand along the front of the stalls. I really didn't have to do that though since I knew my way around the stable so well. I slipped into Taffy's stall, thankful to be with her. I had a rope set up across the door's threshold, at Taffy's chest level, to keep her from going out while also allowing the door to remain open. I settled myself in the blankets, actually happy that Antony and I agreed that he would sleep on the couch in the lounge while I slept with the horses. It was the places that we were both most comfortable.


	9. Chapter 9

Taffy was the one who woke me up in the morning. I was amid a tangle of blankets. My mare was standing above me, nuzzling my face to wake me up. She and her stablemates wanted their breakfast and they wanted it that very moment. I groaned and shoved her giant nose away from me, rolling over on to my other side. But this alarm clock was relentless and didn't have a snooze button. She returned to nuzzling my face, nudging me with more and more force. The second time I shoved her away, the blankets suddenly disappeared. I cringed at the sudden cold, muttering several curses beneath my breath. With no other choice I got up while glaring at Taffy as she waved the blankets in her mouth. I stumbled out of the stall, picking shavings and straw from my hair. I wasn't exactly thinking straight as I began giving the horses their flakes of hay and then cleaned their stalls. It wasn't until I was done with the last stall that I realized that Antony was asleep on the comfortable couch in the lounge and that I should have gotten him up to help me. Too late to make him help out with the chores, which he had promised he would the night before, I grabbed a bucket and filled it with water. Going into the lounge I was smirking with the rude awakening that I had planned but I stopped the moment I saw the occupants of the couch. Antony was dead asleep, his forearm arched over his brow and his left leg hanging off the edge. Stretched out on top of him was the sleeping Kobe, the tennis ball still in his mouth. I had no idea how the dog was able to stay balanced, while asleep, on the young man but the Doberman somehow managed it. I didn't have the heart to wake me dog up with the cold water. With a bit of disappointment, I went out of the lounge and placed the bucket to the side. Not sure what to do, I stood there staring at the cars. Speedemon did say that I could drive them and even pointed out which ones I would like. But the thought of driving an almost perfect stranger's car kind of weirded me out. Of course, I knew it would mean the world to Antony to get a ride. He may have hated Speedemon but it was in a teenaged boy's blood to love fast and sleek cars. It would have been against all humanity if I didn't let him at least ride in the cars. Making the decision, I gave a low whistle, one that I knew would awaken Kobe. There was a loud bang from inside the lounge shortly followed by Kobe running up to me. By the sounds of disgust from Tony, I guessed that Kobe left the ball as a present.

While Antony stayed in the stable trying to wake himself up, I went inside to feed Kobe, make myself somewhat presentable, and grab my purse. When I came back, I found that the large doors behind the cars were opened and Antony was waiting expectantly. He reminded me of Kobe when the dog knew that he was going to go on a car ride. As soon as I came close enough, Antony began jingling a pair of keys. I broke into a run, colliding into him. It became a game as Tony's hand holding the keys was held up just out of my reach. Finally he relinquished the keys to me and made a bee-line for the Solstice's passenger seat. I shouldn't have been surprised that he had chosen the red sports car. I personally was more interested in driving the Benz convertible for a reason that I couldn't really explain but I wasn't up for bickering with Antony. I patted Kobe before sliding into the driver's seat. The interior was incredible; black leather with red piping and a seamless dashboard. Everything about the car was smooth and sleek, everything about it hinted at style and speed. Suddenly I was intimidated about driving the car. Seeing my hesitation and not willing to loose out on the sweet ride, Antony carefully extracted the keys from my hand and put them into the ignition.

"And now, we turn the ignition _on_" he said as if he was a driving instructor. I gave him a dirty look before I managed to get my bearings. Shifting into reverse, I backed the car slowly out of the stable. Kobe watched from inside, his angular head cocked to the side in curiosity. All of the horses were watching but it seemed with a bit of apprehension. Briefly I stopped as Antony jumped out to close the stable doors and then lock them.

The Solstice was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was surreally smooth as it easily traveled down the roads, the brakes and accelerator answering my bidding at the slightest touch. It took me a while to get used to the incredible sports car but once I did, I frequently found myself over the speed limit. I knew that Tony noticed the excess speed but he wasn't about to go point it out. If he had it his way, he'd be out in the town organizing a drag race to show off the speed and style of this car. I ran my errands in town while always taking painstaking care not to leave Antony alone in the car. My friend was not only an addict for speed but he somehow acquired the knowledge on how to hotwire a car. Normally it wouldn't have been in his character to steal a car that I was driving but nothing was normal about a boy with a car like this. Then again, I soon realized that I couldn't really trust anyone with this car. Wherever we drove, everyone had to turn their heads to watch us go by. The boys and men we passed were pretty much drooling. Once all of the errands were done, I found myself reluctant to return home. So to appease Antony and me, I took a detour down some back roads, blaring the radio as loud as our ears could handle. The whole car shook with the bass and I knew that the surrounding landscape must have been too. We were surprised to find a group of people are age on the side of the road, hanging out beneath several trees. Their cars were lined up, facing out, on the side of the road as if they were apart of a car showroom. The boys were lounging around smoking and drinking ice cold beers while the girls acted like hood ornaments. Because of the bass I didn't hear Antony roll down his window. If I had known I would have floored it and kept him from getting himself killed by his own stupidity.

"Yo bitches! Your jacked up wheels ain't worth shit!" he yelled out the window. If I wasn't driving I would have slapped Antony right up side the head. The whole party froze and then started laughing when an Escalade truck suddenly pulled out in front of us, causing me to slam on the brakes. Antony's eyes went wide as all the guys began lumbering our way, crushing the beer cans in their hands. Some of them climbed into the cars, revving the engines loudly.

"Godamit!" I yelled as I slammed my foot against the accelerator, performing a miraculously fast and tight u-turn on the two lane country road. The wheels squealed against the pavement.

The scenery was a blur as we flew over the pavement. A pack of custom cars was in hot pursuit of us, chasing us towards town which was the last place I wanted to end up. Antony was having the time of his life, leaning his arm out the window as he flipped off the pack of wolves behind us. The bass was still booming and was playing a rock song about racing fast cars; the song made my heart pound faster and my foot press harder against the accelerator. We went flying by the forty-five mph speed limit sign going at least a hundred. The cars behind us were jockeying for position and started throttling towards us. I let off the gas a bit, causing Antony to get a look of disbelief. Then a small smile crossed over his face, realizing what I was planning on doing. We both knew how risky it was being it was the same maneuver that caused Tony to total his last car. The Solstice didn't slow as fast as I thought it would, as if it wasn't willing to let off the speed. Three cars were closing in, two on the left and one on the right. There was a narrow opening directly behind us and then a large gap in front of the pack of cars further behind. With perfect timing, I threw the car into reverse. The movement was effortless for the car but Tony and I got a severe case of whiplash as we were thrown forward. It barely took any time before I was peering out the rear window, flying in the opposite direction of the three cars that were about to surround us. We were open on both sides which allowed me to whip the car in a complete one-eighty, rubber peeling against the asphalt. With ease, the Solstice switched to drive. The pack of cars we now faced all came to a screeching halt but by the time they did, we had flown past them. I could briefly hear the shouts of amazement coming from the drivers when we passed. The last thing any of the car-crazy guys expected was for a girl to drive a sports car, a stick shift I may add, with such skill. The guys gave chase for several miles but the Solstices' unreal speed was no match for them.

Antony was on a high for the rest of the day even well after we had returned the Solstice to its previous spot between the Benz and the Hummer. He spent the rest of the day on the computer in the lounge telling his friends about the incredible ride and looking up everything he could about the car. I went about my business taking care of the horses, slightly annoyed with how obsessed Antony was acting. Even Popi became annoyed. Whenever he came into the stable, he would scowl at the sight of Antony on the computer. Finally the elderly man had enough. I was brushing Spitfire when Popi walked up behind Antony and shut the computer down. I couldn't see into the lounge from where I was but I could hear everything, especially Antony's cry of dismay. In a voice that said on its own that there would be no objections, Popi told Antony to find something else to do.

"I don't care what you do or where you go, just get off that damn computer" Popi exclaimed. It was the closest I had ever seen him to yelling. Antony looked at the blank computer screen and then somehow managed to tear himself away. Seeing that he finally got Antony away from the computer, Popi nodded his head. The older man caught me peering around the lounge door and I dashed away over to the cars. I held my hands over my mouth, feeling my whole face turn red at the attempt of holding my laughter in. Popi literally chased Antony out of the barn but my friend turned around briefly to see me peering out from between the Hummer and Topkick. He promptly flipped me off. I had to steady myself on the truck to keep from falling over, I was laughing so hard. Kobe came over to me, wagging his tail.

"And that's what you call karma, boy" I told him with a strong pat to the side. Still laughing I went to the Pontiac's back bumper and picked up the rag I had dropped earlier. I had been getting the last traces of dust off so that no one knew what had occurred earlier that day. About ten minutes later Antony escaped from Popi and came back into the stable, watching me as I brushed off ever last speck of dust. He ran his dark hand caressingly over the Pontiac's red hood as if it was the cheek of his lover. I rolled my eyes and rose from my crouched position at the rear bumper.

"So where are you planning on going?" I knew that my friend wouldn't hang around the stable to be tempted by the cars and computer, incurring Popi's wrath.

"Probably into town and play some ball at the park" I was sure he was going to take a detour to the car dealerships too.

"I'll give you a ride" Antony looked at me with bright, hopeful eyes so I quickly added, "in the ranch truck" The expectant face dropped in disappointment but he still took me up on the offer. He sulked and told me he'd just take his motorcycle.

I adored having Antony on the ranch with me but I was grateful for the few hours of peace with him in town. There was a sense of peace that settled over the ranch and I took advantage of it by reading on the house's front porch. Taffy was grazing contentedly on the grass in front of the house while Kobe and I sat in the swinging bench attached to the overhang above us. The Northern doors of the stable were open and I could see hints of movement coming from the horse stalls. For once I was able to read, a past time that I thoroughly enjoyed. The pages of the novel were flipping by as my eyes scanned over the words, greedily soaking up the story. I should have known that the peacefulness wouldn't last as the ringing telephone shattered my perfect bliss. By the time I pulled myself from the swing and entered the house, Popi had already picked up the phone. He narrowed his eyes when he spotted me and then handed the phone over. Shaking his head, he went upstairs to his bedroom.

"Bring him home in one piece so that way I can tear him apart," he muttered as his heavy cowboy boots thudded against the wooden steps.

* * *

The porch door swung open so hard that it slammed against the wall and then back into its threshold, the windows shaking. Kobe was distraught as he peered at me from my bedroom window but there was no way that he would fit in the two-seating Benz once I picked up Antony. Even if Antony would be resembling a jigsaw puzzle and probably missing several limbs. Taffy stared at me in surprise as I stormed past her. Unlike Antony, she wouldn't get into any trouble without me around to supervise her so I wasn't going to waste precious time putting her back into her stall. I couldn't help but to scream out in frustration as I unlocked the doors behind the row of cars. The whole while I was screaming out curses at Antony; since he wasn't there, everyone in the stable was forced to listen instead.

"He's such an _idiot_! It didn't even take him two full hours for him to throw himself into a fire. He might as well make up his own damned noose and hang himself! What possessed him to pick a fight with those guys, anyway? God! I'm tired of saving his ass!" I exclaimed loudly as I slid into the Mercedes-Benz driver's seat. I continued my tirade as I found the key and put it into the ignition. Antony, with his brilliant social skills, ended up running into the group of guys that he had goaded earlier while in our ride in the Solstice. He called me from a payphone that he had found in a parking lot that he had run to but had to promptly hang up when he saw rapidly approaching cars. The car jocks were out for his blood. It was a well known fact in the small city that no one insulted the car jocks or, even worse, insulted their cars. And it didn't help that Antony and I had outraced them which only added to their fury. Since I knew that the gang would be keeping an eye out for the Solstice I decided to take the Benz which was a fast car that they wouldn't recognize. I'm sure that Speedemon never intended this to happen when he told me I could drive his cars.

The engine roared to life, louder than I expected. The radio turned on of its own accord when the ignition was turned, playing a fast paced song. I shrugged it off figuring that the radio had been playing when the car had been turned off when first parked in the stable. The coupe's wheels spun against the concrete flooring, sending us flying backwards from the stable. Taking a tight turn to the right, I switched gears to drive. All of this I did without taking my foot off of the accelerator. A huge cloud of dust covered the car and I was thankful that the top was up. Soon we were sailing down the long driveway to the ranch entrance. The car skidded as I made a hard turn on the road that would lead us into town. Dusk was setting in as I sped down the road and I had to search around to find the dashboard to find the switch for the headlights. The controls were so sensitive that all I had to do was lightly move the switch before the lights came on. I gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying hard not to dig my fingernails into the leather. There was no telling how much damage might end up happening to the car and if I could at least keep one part in one piece, then maybe Speedemon would sue me for less money. My cell phone in my pocket began ringing and I squirmed in my seat to dig it out. Of course it was Antony. I was so aggravated with him that I only asked him where he was and if he was dead yet. As soon as I got my answers I hung up. Antony was hiding out in an alley and he wasn't sure how long it would be before he was found. I didn't even want to know where he had gotten the phone from that he had called me on. The town came up faster than I thought it would but of course I was going well over a hundred miles per hour down the barren road. Night time had settled in and as I came to the busier streets, I slowed the car down so I wouldn't hit anyone or draw unwanted attention. Of course the car itself drew plenty of attention especially when I unintentionally revved the engine. As inconspicuously as possible I drove the Benz through the streets, driving like a perfect little driver. Eventually I came to the alley that Antony had mentioned. It was a good place to hide because it was too narrow for a car to fit in, even for a sports car like the Benz. Besides a few burglaries and a rather alarming rate in drug trafficking that happened behind locked and secured doors, the town was relatively safe so I didn't worry when I parked the coupe a short distance from the alley. I locked the doors and activated the alarm, looking around to see who was paying me any attention. Thankfully no one noticed me as I tucked the keys into my pocket and dashed toward the alley.

Antony was elated to see me. I gave him a quick hug and then slapped him up side the head. He winced but he was used to me doing that. Not to mention he knew he deserved it. As we were about to head back to the car, we heard trashcans crash and an unintelligible oath. Antony grabbed me by the arm and dragged me behind a large dumpster. We waited to hear something else but the alley was silent. Antony peered around the metal bin and he kept his arm on me to keep me back. I placed a hand on his bicep which protectively flexed at my touch. Antony may have acted incredibly stupid and cocky at times but he was an incredible person who would do anything to protect me. He whispered that he didn't see anyone but when he glanced back at me I could see the worry in his dark eyes. Not wanting to say anything and catch anyone's attention, we left through the other side of the alley. The plan was to travel wide around the block and get to the car from the different direction. I prayed that it would work but something told me that I would have to go through extremes to get the feeling out that we were being watched and followed. I could tell that Antony had the same feeling but he wasn't about to let on. The one thing that I loved about Antony was that he would do anything in his power to protect the well being of those who he loved. My hand slipped into his and he gave it a squeeze without looking back at me as he led us forward. We picked our way through the garbage strewn alley, trying to be as quiet as possible. Every once in a while a car would pass by on the street in front of us, the lights bouncing off the concrete walls further up ahead. A sudden urge filled me to turn around and before it was too late, I let go of Antony's hand to turn. There was a quick movement and the moonlight glittered against something. Chills ran down my spine. Antony yanked my hand to keep me walking and before I knew it we were running out of the alley. Movements behind us hinted that we were now being chased after. It couldn't have been the gang that had been chasing Antony earlier; they weren't the type to creep around in the shadows. Without warning something slammed into my back and brought me hard to the ground. I bit back a scream as several sharp objects cut into my skin. Antony tackled whoever was attacking me, both of them slamming into the asphalt. I scrambled to my feet and managed to pull Antony off. We both stared in amazement at the short robot that was gearing up for another attack. It seemed to have four bright blue optics that was analyzing us, its skeletal frame never staying still for more than a moment. Antony and I stared at in horror. I was the first to snap out of it, taking off toward the street still holding onto Antony's hand. We dashed around the junk that was splayed out, jumping tipped over trashcans. There was a mad chattering sound coming from behind us in an unrecognizable language. We could hear the metal feet in fast pursuit of us. Something shot between my and Antony's head, missing by a hairsbreadth. Antony and I had let go of our hands but we were running so close that we kept bumping into each other. My friend ran slightly behind me, trying his best to block me from the attacking robot.

Somehow we made it to the street. Several pairs of headlights met us but most of them passed by without a second thought. Then there was only one pair of headlights. Antony went into the middle of the street to wave it over, hoping that we could be picked up and driven home or at least to the Benz on the other side of the block. But then I noticed that the robot had come out of the alley and was in full view of the car without a second thought. It was motioning to the car and then to us.

"Run!" I yelled as I hauled Antony after me. I heard the driver of the car hit the gas when he realized that we were making a run for it.

Antony and I were running as fast as we could but the car was right behind us, taunting us. Several people were on the streets but they dashed out of the way at the sight of the two teens running from the police car. Normally I would have trusted the police but when I glanced over my shoulder to see a back door open for the robot to jump in, it was obvious to me that this cop was corrupt. Running for all we were worth we rounded the corner that led back to the convertible. The cop car started approaching closer and closer until it was nearly on top of us. A powerful voice ordered us to stop but without a second thought we refused. We dodged through several cars and made it to the sidewalk but the cop car simply plowed right through the cars and jumped the curb. I screamed out in shock and began pumping my legs even faster. People were running and yelling at the sight of the car driving on the sidewalk; it plowed through everything and anything that was abandoned in its path. By some miracle when we rounded the second corner and the convertible came into sight, the cop car came to a screeching halt. Not caring why it did this, Antony and I ran to the car. I fumbled with the cars to unlock it and then dove in. My nervous hands made it hard to get the keys into the ignition but I managed. I floored it away from the alley and sped right through the stop sign that sat on the corner of the street that the cop car had stopped chasing us on. Antony peered down the street as we passed it but he told me that there was no sign of anyone or a cop car.

The Mercedes-Benz was more than responsive, speeding up at the slightest touch on the accelerator but whenever I needed to brake to make a turn, it took some effort to get it to slow down. It was if it wanted to get out of town as much as we wanted to. Just on the edge of town a whole pack of headlights came into view behind us.

"You've gotta be kidding me" Antony groaned. Somehow the car jocks recognized us and decided to take care of the unfinished business between us. I was in no mood to deal with them especially since them following us might draw the cop's unwanted attention.

"I'm sick of this!" I yelled as I slammed my foot against the accelerator. If these jerks wanted a thrill, I was sure to give it to them. I took an unexpected right turn down a two lane road that led into the canyons. The pack of cars behind us eagerly followed. The cop car was no where in sight but both Antony's and my adrenaline was pounding through our veins and minds. We looked over at each other, exchanging wicked and knowing grins. On foot, Antony was the leader but when it came to riding, whether it was on the back of a horse or behind the wheel of car, I was simply the best.

"Take 'em out" Antony growled. To answer, I throttled it out of the town. We heard the roar of engines behind us but the Benz's engine was roaring so loudly that it drowned out everything else. The forces were shoving us back against our seats as I weaved around slower cars. The pack behind us was getting closer but I was letting them. Whenever I could I would take the opportunity to taunt those when I knew I would be coming out on top. Antony rolled down his window and leaned out, flipping off those behind us while shouting out some pretty colorful insults. Taking a hand off the steering wheel I yanked him by his shirt to get back into his seat before he went flying out the window.

In any other car I would have feared losing control but the Benz handled so beautifully that I knew that it was under full control. We flew over a slight hill, rising up and catching some air before coming down. Metal screeched against asphalt, causing me to wince. The guilt quickly disappeared when I noticed that the highway in front of us was wide open all the way up to the beginning of the canyon. Antony yelled over the blaring engine and music telling me that the some drag racing cars were making a fast approach. I could see the headlights lower to the ground than the rest come racing up to us; the neon lights glowing from beneath the undercarriage glinted off the flashy paint jobs. Switching to a whole new gear, the convertible shot forward. The race was on.

The whole thing was simple really. I knew that the convertible had unbelievable speed that would quickly outdistance most of the cars while on the straight highway. Those who were able to keep up, probably the street racers who spent thousands of dollars on supping up their cars, would stand no chance with the winding curves of the road going through Devil's Spine Canyon while I knew from the short time driving the Benz, that it would handle the curvy road like a dream. Antony was yelling and bouncing uncontrollably in his seat and was about to snap his head off by always looking at the blurry landscape out his window and then out the rear window to see the street racers in hot pursuit.

Not sure how I managed to hear it over the engine or the music, I accidentally caused the car to swerve when gun shots were fired. Wide eyes met each other.

"Get us the fuck outta here!" Antony yelled. My original thoughts that the town was safe were shattered. I suddenly realized that these car jocks needed to be taken seriously and were probably linked to the sudden rise in crime and drugs in the small city. I mentally chided myself at how obvious it was now; there was no way that these guys were able to get so much money for their cars through legal means. Finally, Antony's big mouth got us in way over our heads. Bullets were rapidly being fired at us and I could hear some of them make their mark on the back of the car. I groaned at the sounds not only because there was the very real possibility that Antony and I could be shot but also the more superficial thought that Speedemon was going to have my head. I was never going to go near his cars again and I knew that as soon as he found out, he wouldn't have a problem with that decision.

I was more than relieved to make it to the beginning of the canyon where the curving, two-lane road would make it harder for the shooters to hit us. I could feel the road lifting us higher and it unnerved me when the right side of the road dropped off to form a cliff. We were flying around the turns, hugging the road tightly. I could barely hear the sounds of skidding tires and crashing metal from behind us. Antony announced that most of the pack wasn't able to handle the road at these speeds and only three racers were able to follow us. I was becoming increasingly worried that I wouldn't be able to handle the car so I resulted to a slower but an approach that was somewhat easier for me. It was a driving style that I had learned long ago back home in Los Angeles and I was extremely comfortable with it. Around each turn I threw the car to the side so we took up both lanes as I briefly switched gears, drifting smoothly around the curve. The car was so receptive that drifting the corners made it unbelievably easy while allowing me to up the speed. Antony, who had no idea I knew how to drift, was speechless for the first, and hopefully last, time in his life. I couldn't help but to smile, laughing at how incredible the whole experience was. The road eventually opened up to three lanes which made it even easier for the convertible to drift. However I hadn't planned on the racers behind us to know how to drift but I should have known since this canyon road was far too perfect for the racers to resist learning how to perform the complicated driving style. They quickly approached until their bumpers were against ours. Without warning one car swayed slightly off to the side and then swung back with extreme force, trying to slam its hood against the Benz's rear bumper. We would have been spun out of control and gone over the cliff face but the convertible accelerated rapidly to barely manage to get out of the way of the infamous maneuver. This all happened within seconds and I didn't even remember realizing that I needed to accelerate faster to get out of the way, let alone throttling it enough to get out of range. But then again adrenaline does strange things to people so I cast off the strange moment to adrenaline screwing with my head.

The car that had tried to pit the Benz ended up spinning out of control and slammed into the rock face, taking another car with it. We were left with just one pursuer and suddenly I felt a flood of confidence. I began taking the turns more recklessly, mere centimeters from either the rock face or the guard rail that would have done nothing to keep us from plunging over the cliff. Antony had returned to yelling out profanities against the driver behind us but this time he wisely decided not to stick his head out the window just in case the car behind us decided to bring out the guns again or I accidentally hurled Antony out the window in a turn. My friend was laughing maniacally and I couldn't keep the cocky smirk from my face. This was the most amazing experience I had ever gone through.

"They're getting close!" he cried, barely able to contain himself. Driving at dangerously fast speeds in incredible cars was better to my friend then getting high on LSD. The radio suddenly switched to a rap song that I recognized from one that I had downloaded onto my computer, one that hadn't yet been released to radio stations.

_I see them coming from afar,_

_I got my eyes open, _

_I'm ready for war_

The bass was shaking the entire car as we began pulling away from the street racers. The needle on the speedometer was passing by the increasing numbers at an unbelievably fast rate and soon it went past the two hundred mph mark, the biggest number on the speedometer. I could still feel the engine accelerating faster and for a brief moment I was fearful of how much power this car really contained. There was a roar behind us and I caught of glimpse of the driver applying their nitrogen accelerators. These guys went all out in making their cars the fastest possible. I felt as if I was in the middle of _The Fast and the Furious_. The car behind us were closing the gap between us at an incredible rate and I was worried that I had maxed out the convertible's speed for nothing. But as if sensing my concern the Benz switched to a new gear, seemingly on its own. Antony and I were thrown against the seats as the car catapulted forward. There was no telling how fast we were now going and it took everything I had to keep from losing my head. I was a good driver but I had no idea if I would be able to handle the canyon going at this speed. Pushing my doubts from my mind I put full faith and trust in my abilities.

_**Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone whose been reviewing, it means a lot. A little thing about the story, I don't know how fast an SL500 can go so I just guessed and the song lyrics is Sean Kingston's "Sean Kingston".**_


	10. Chapter 10

It hadn't taken much to get away from the last car that had been chasing us. I was surprised with myself when I realized that I was kind of disappointed by the lack of final stand. As soon as we emerged from the canyon, coming out like a bullet being fired from a gun, I slowly let off the accelerator. It would take at least an hour to drive home because we had gone through the canyon which was the opposite direction of the ranch. Thankfully the ranch's land was so vast that we could soon be coming up on its back border and would be able to drive straight through the property since I knew the combination to the locked gates that kept trespassers out. A small dirt road led straight from the gates to the ranch house. The road was in enough disrepair that we would have to go rather slow. Of course anything under one hundred miles per hour would be considered slow after what we had just gone through. It worked out that we had to take this slower and longer route because it gave a chance for Antony and I to calm ourselves. And to talk about everything that had just happened.

"That," Antony stated in a flabbergasted tone, "was the single most incredible day. I mean that will outrank getting married and the day Antony Jr. and Antonia are born" I wanted to roll my eyes at the mention of Antony's plan on naming all of his kids after himself, even if they were girls.

"I just can't believe that we lived through that and that this car is in one piece…for the most part" I added with a grimace at the thought of the scraping sound of metal after we caught that air and then when the bullets made impact on the back of the car.

"Well, if Popi has anything to say about it, we won't be alive for much longer" Antony said. He wasn't as intimidated as much as he should have been but then again he didn't know how Popi had sent me out for him.

"Actually, _I_ have nothing to worry about. If I remember right, Popi's exact words were 'Bring him home in one piece so that way I can tear him apart'. My guess is that he has the belt pulled out for you, ready and waiting" I said a little bit more smugly than I should have. Intimidation and plain fear spread over Antony. For a moment I wasn't sure if he was about to jump out of the car, wiling to face the mountain lions and rattlesnakes in the middle of the night rather than face Popi's old school discipline. Both of us were silent, deep in our own thoughts. I could still feel my heart pounding in my chest but slowly the adrenaline was seeping away.

"While Popi and you sort things out I'm going to be in the barn to try and clean the car up. Popi can't know what we exactly went through to bring you home. And he especially can't know about the cop. You know how he feels about cops. If he found out we were attacked, it would take enough tranquilizers to knock out an elephant to keep him from storming into the police station" Antony was oddly quiet as he listened to me and I could feel his jovial nature evaporate away. The radio station we had been listening to was now playing a soft rock sound, one that was a few hundred decibels lower than the music we had listened to while being chased. I didn't ever remember turning the volume down but I figured that Antony had done it when I was hadn't been looking. The length that Antony was quiet for was dragging out and I knew that the longer he was silent, the more I had to be concerned about. Finally he cleared his throat to speak, a very bad sign.

"That wasn't a cop car, Faith. At least not a real one" I glanced over to him with a questioning expression. "The car had the color scheme of an LAPD cruiser but you know that LAPD doesn't have a design for their cars that has the word 'Police' written out in big block silver letters on the doors. And it didn't say '…to protect and to serve' on the sides like most LAPD cruisers. This one had '…to punish and enslave' and that definitely doesn't belong on a police car. And then there's the fact that I've _never _seen LAPD modify a Saleen into a cruiser; normally they use normal sedans, not a custom hot rod. Not to mention that this isn't LAPD jurisdiction. I mean, we're not even in LA _County _so it didn't have any business being here let alone trying to arrest random people on the streets. That thing may look like a legit cruiser at first glance but it definitely isn't" I didn't even have to mention the obvious fact that a legit police man also wouldn't be helping a psychotic robot kill innocent citizens. Apparently Antony had been thinking the same thing because he asked me to lean forward so he could see my back. I obliged and then winced when I heard his sharp intake of breath and then an enraged growl.

"That tin can really did a number on you Faith" It took me a moment to remember that the adrenaline wouldn't be letting me feel the pain that Antony seemed to think would be coming. I leaned back against the seat and flinched as I felt a wet spot against the back of my shirt. I had been pressing so hard against the seat earlier that I hadn't felt the blood until I moved forward.

"Maybe we should tell Popi what happened. He's going to wonder how I got those" Antony didn't even wait for me to finish before he started shaking his head.

"There's no way he'd believe us. Would you if you were a sixty year old man watching two beat up teenagers who came in from the middle of the night with a damaged sports car saying, 'Oh yeah, we're late because I was first chased down first by a gang of underground racing drug traffickers and when Faith found me we were then attacked by a robot who apparently was tight with a fake cop cuz the cop promptly began chasing us down. Don't worry though cuz it randomly stopped chasing us when we got to the $100,000 car that Faith is taking care of for a random guy on the internet she met'? Should I go on trying to explain the bullets we got while going down the highway and Devil's Spine Canyon?" I shook my head, knowing that Antony was right no matter how much I didn't want him to be. We wouldn't be lying to Popi but my guilt was making me feel as if not telling him the details was just as horrible.

"Maybe that cruiser was something thought up by the gang. I mean, they have enough money to pull it off and it would be like them to put their own sick spin on it" Antony offered.

"Yeah but they don't have enough brains or technology to build and program that robot. Those goons know how to shoot, drive, and pull off drug deals and that's about it" With a sigh Antony nodded in agreement. We were silent as the coupe traveled effortlessly down the bumpy dirt road. I would have been surprised as to how smoothly the car traveled when even ATV's would have bounced more than a jack hammer but I really wasn't after experiencing all of the car's capabilities first hand. Speedemon really had some good taste for cars.

"There really isn't anything for us to do except perform one hell of a cover up to keep Popi in the dark" Antony said with a sigh. I knew that he wanted to get back at everyone who had tried to hurt us but in all reality he was right. There wasn't anything we could really do other than to keep a safe distance from any trouble.

"For now, let's stay far away from town. That way it'll be easy to avoid those trigger happy, drug induced morons. I think as long as we don't take Speedemon's cars out anymore, we won't stand out as much just in case we run into those thugs again. As for the cop and his robot that was created by the devil himself, well….I'm not sure. Maybe we can see anything about any police departments switching over to Saleens on the Internet but I think we already know that thing was a poser and not the real thing" I said with a heavy voice. I could feel the wounds on my back bring on some pain and I wasn't looking forward to see for myself how bad they really were.

"And Popi?" Antony was still wincing at the thought of having to stay away from the incredible cars he had fallen in love with.

"He can't know what happened. You're right that he wouldn't believe us and if he did believe us, then he'd just freak out and go out interrogating everyone. And knowing Popi, he'd probably use a rifle to get the info he wanted" Both Antony and I couldn't help but to give a small smile. Popi was calm, cool, and collected until he was provoked and then it was like he returned to the lawless days of the Old West where the Sheriff was whoever had the biggest gun. However my smile disappeared at the thought of basically lying to the man who had become my second-father. "To make sure he doesn't know, we won't talk about what happened in the house, stable, or anywhere else Popi might overhear us. If we need to talk about it we can go by the old oak with the swing. There's no way that Popi can sneak up on us there" Antony nodded his head. It was in the wide open so we would be easily able to switch topics if we saw Popi approaching.

"What about your back?" Antony asked in a low tone that caused me to slightly shiver. He was barely able to hold back his rage at the thought of how the robot had hurt me so badly.

"While Popi teaches you not to get into trouble I'll take care of the car and then I'll use the first aid kit in the stable to get cleaned up enough to get past Popi without him noticing anything. I'm pretty sure I have a shirt in the stable that I can change into. Then I'll meet you in your room and you can help me with the wounds I can't deal with on my own"

"What if he notices? Those cuts are pretty deep and you can't blame falling off the horses"

"By the time he notices, _if_ he notices, I'll have thought up a good excuse for it by then" Antony nodded his head in agreement. Both of us lapsed into silence, consumed with our thoughts.

* * *

The lights were on in the house when we finally pulled up to the stable. I wished Antony good luck as he hauled himself from the car and approached the house. His hands were shoved deep into his jean pockets and his feet were dragging in the dirt. The screen door creaked open and Popi stood in the doorway silhouetted by the house lights. Antony was in for it real bad and I felt for my friend. Trying not to think about it, I focused my attention to the Benz. I parked it in front of the enormous doors that Popi had apparently closed after I had left. Every movement was like the knives were being driven into my back all over again and I couldn't help the tears of pain that formed in my eyes. Once the doors were opened just enough to fit the car through, I got back into the convertible and drove it to its spot next to the Pontiac. The engine's purr was soft and the car's movements were slow. There was an odd kind of silence when I turned the ignition off and got out. The horses were barely awake, rustling quietly in their stalls. All except for Taffy who softly nickered with concern at the sight of me. I couldn't help but to smile. She had an uncanny sense to know my moods. With a quick glance at the driver's seat my heart dropped. There were large blood stains from my back.

"_Shit_" I hissed in a whisper. Pain consuming my mind with every movement I made, I went over to the lounge to clean myself up and to at least stop any bleeding. There was no use to try and clean the car when I was bleeding all over the place.

The patch up on my back was rather pathetic but I was thankful that the bleeding had at least stopped. That and the super-strength pain killers really helped me out. I set to work cleaning the Mercedes-Benz in a bathing suit top that I had found in the lounge. I had to throw away my blood stained bra and shirt and I didn't want to get any blood on my fresh shirt in case the wounds opened up again as I was cleaning. It was a strange experience as I started wiping away the thick layer of dust on the silver hood. I felt as if I was not only being watched as I cleaned but I could almost put words to the heavy feeling of pity and concern that seemed to be directed at me. Soon I was waiting for a voice to say, 'Poor child' in a parent-like tone. There was also the extremely strong sense of anger but I tried to ignore it the best I could since it was unnerving me so much. I had had enough of anger that day and I didn't want to be anywhere near it in the peacefulness of my stable. To get away from the invading feelings I scrubbed the bloody seat with all that I was worth. I was at it for at least half an hour with no progress when my cell phone's tone went off from the lounge, indicating that I had a text message. I ignored it, not in the mood to deal with anyone. But the tone kept on persisting so eventually I threw down the cleaning supplies and walked over to the lounge as quickly as my wounds would allow. The horrible cell phone was on the couch, insistently singing the once cute tone. Looking at the screen I saw that it didn't show any number so I just turned the phone off without answering and threw it back onto the couch. I was at the Benz's hood when the phone starting going off again. I stopped dead in my tracks, listening intently to see if my ears were deceiving me. Spooked, I went back to scrubbing the seat while the phone went on singing its song. It stopped for a moment but then started right back up again. Annoyed, tired, and frustrated I threw down the towel and grimaced in pain at the sudden movement. I went back to the lounge and flipped my phone open.

**Is everything ok? You haven't logged on for a while –Speedemon** the screen read. I was even more spooked at how he was able to get my phone number and I wasn't sure if I should reply or not. I stared at my phone as if it would tell me what to do. Chewing on my lip I typed a quick reply.

**Everything's cool. I just got a nose bleed in your Benz and I was nervous about telling you.** At least now Speedemon wouldn't freak out if he saw some blood but there was a little bit too much blood to back up the lie. Then there was the fact that I was sure to find bullet holes in the back of the car once I got up the gumption to go back there and see for myself. Speedemon's reply came back so fast that I jumped when the tone went off.

**Don't worry about it. If you can't get the stains out I know a way to get 'em out** I read as I walked back to the car. I sighed at his words. This was one hell of a stain and it would take a lot to get it out.

**Ok, thanx for being so cool about it**. It was a weak response but it was all that I could think of. I stood in front of the Benz warily as I texted the owner.

**No prob. But I was wondering if you and your friend can get away for a couple of hours tomorrow. I'm going to be in the area tomorrow and I'd like to finally see you face to face.** I groaned aloud as I read the message. After my fun-filled day I wasn't exactly up to meet with a mystery guy, especially with my back in the condition it was in and not to mention the extremely unnerving fact that he was able to get my cell phone number. I leaned against the Benz's hood as I thought over how I would let Speedemon down. Just as I was about to reply, my cell phone's tone went off. A text message from Speedemon popped up.

**Please come, its extremely important. There's something about my cars that you really need to know about**. I cast a furtive glance over the row of cars; the lumbering semi, the intimidating truck, the authoritative Search & Rescue ambulance, the smooth sports car, and then lastly the quick convertible I was leaning against. There was no point in denying that I knew something was strange with the cars, it was something that I had noticed the first day I had found them in the stable and it was frighteningly obvious that night I spent in the stable. Knowing one day that my curiosity would get the best of me and figuring that it might as well be the next, I replied that I would meet Speedemon at noon with me driving the Benz and Antony driving the Solstice. We agreed that we would meet up at the crossroads several miles from the ranch. It made me nervous that the old crossroads were literally out in the middle of nowhere but Speedemon reassured me that I would understand once I was there. The only thing that kept me from backing out was the reassurance that I could bring Antony and Kobe. After everything that had just happened, I was sure that a millionaire's son wouldn't be able to do any real harm. Especially since I knew that Antony would be itching for a fight with the guy and Kobe would attack the moment he felt that I was being threatened.

I didn't even bother turning off my cell phone since apparently it had a mind of its own. Not really thinking where I was going, I went back to the Benz's driver's seat so I could continue my pained onslaught against the stains. To my absolute amazement, the leather interior was spotless, without a single drop of blood. I looked at the cleaning solution I held in my hand, searching to see if it mentioned a delay in the effects. It didn't say anything and I was too tired to think about it even more. In a way I was grateful because I could then start the long process of rubbing all of the dust off. I had to make sure that the coupe was in perfect condition for when I met Speedemon tomorrow. Listening to the car radio as I cleaned I let my mind go blank. It was bizarre though because it felt as if the car was leaning into me as I ran the rag over its sleek metal. I knew I was overtired and in pain so I gave credit to the painkillers for the bizarre idea that the car was enjoying the attention like Kobe would when I scratched him. I couldn't help but to notice though that I was having to think up excuses for a lot of strange happenings lately. Finally after much apprehension and procrastination I came to the rear of the car. My jaw dropped at the perfect and undamaged rear bumper. I was absolutely positive that the car had been shot but there weren't even dents as proof that it had really happened. Suddenly remembering how the front bumper had been scraped up after our little jump I went to the front. It was in perfect condition. I shook my head in absolute confusion as I stepped back from the car. Speedemon wasn't kidding when he said it was important that he needed to tell me something about his cars because there was no way that the things were normal. At that moment, I knew that I had to ask Speedemon to take these cars back.

**_Author's Note: Once again, I thank everyone who's been reviewing or just reading. I know that in the movie, that the whole thing was Mission City but I live in SoCal and I could pick out the building my mom works in when I was watching the movie so in my mind, it all happened in LA. Which is why I went with Barricade being disguised as LAPD._**


	11. Chapter 11

Antony was furious that I had agreed for him and I to meet Speedemon on a barren roadside and that I had even told Speedemon about him. However he quickly got over it when he found out that he was going to drive the Solstice. I hadn't told him, though, that I was going to ask Speedemon to take them back since I didn't want to deal with Antony's reaction, whatever it would be. He still gave me dirty looks but at the sound of the Pontiac's purring engine, he was quickly hypnotized. Kobe was just happy to go for a car ride especially since it was in the Benz that he adored so much. I led the way in the Benz to the meeting place while Antony impatiently revved the Pontiac's engine from behind. The one chance he was finally able to drive the sports car himself and I was in front acting like a road block. I knew he was considering ramming into us but thought better of it because of the condition of my back. Every once in a while it would start bleeding it but at least the pain killers were working. And even better, Popi had no idea what had gone on the night before.

There was no one in sight when we pulled up to the crossroad. Just a lot of dirt, grass, some distant hills, and an old ramshackle shack. I stepped out of the car, leaving one foot inside as one hand was on the door and the other hand on the metal roof. Kobe jumped out and dashed away, curious to see where we had arrived. Antony pulled up on the Benz's passenger side, not wanting for the ride to have ended already.

"I think we might have been set up," I said when my friend finally dragged himself from the Solstice. His dark eyes scanned the landscape and a frown covered his face. "We'll give him ten minutes and then we go" I decided aloud.

"Why give him ten minutes when he's late?" Antony mumbled as he closed the Pontiac's door behind him. I knew he was worried that the cars would be taken away before he got a real chance to drive them. Of course he also knew that as far as I was concerned, this was the only time he would ever get to drive them considering his past record. No matter how much he wanted me to forget it, the sight of an exploding car would never leave my memory. Suddenly there was movement from behind the teetering shack. Two young men, slightly older than us, stepped out from behind it. Kobe came over to my side as I got fully out of the car but I made sure to leave the door opened in case I needed to make a hasty escape. Both of the men looked as if they were Abercrombie and Fitch models with their perfect hair, body, and clothes. One had hazel hair and uncanny blue eyes that I could see even from the distance I was at while the other had dark complexion and a fade that had elaborate designs, reminding me of the heart throb R&B singers that girls would give their souls up for. His eyes weren't as dark as Antony's but rather a greyish color.

"Nice to finally see you Faith," the blue eyed man commented. His companion smirked as if it was a private joke. I immediately stiffened up and I knew that Antony was ready to start up a fight. Kobe, on the other hand, cocked his head from side to side in confusion as he stared at the men.

"What do you want?" Antony growled, not bothering to be polite. This caused the men to smile which made Antony take a fighting stance.

"I take it you're Speedemon" I stated. This guy in front of me didn't at all act like the guy I had been talking to over the Internet.

"More or less," he said. That was the last straw for Antony.

"I'm tired of this! These guys ain't legit!" he yelled. Before I could stop him, he went to tackle Speedemon. Just as Antony was about to hit him, both men easily stepped out the way. Both of the men had worried, almost pitying, expressions on their faces. The R&B looking guy tried talking Antony down as he easily dodged all of Antony's punches.

"Come on bro, I don't wanna fight ya. Trust me, nuthin' will come outta it" While Antony was being kept busy by Speedemon's friend, Speedemon came up to me.

"Get in the car Faith!" Antony yelled as he tried to run to me but his opponent stepped in his way. I was just about to grab Kobe and drag him in when the Benz's car door shut on its own.

"Whoa, wait a second. You don't need to freak" Speedemon said with his hands raised up as if he showing me had nothing on him to harm me. I looked at him with wide eyes as I started backing up against the car. Kobe started growling when he felt my tension but he didn't seem to know what exactly to growl at.

"We aren't going to hurt you, I promise" Speedemon told me. The words, and the now familiar voice, triggered a memory. Before I could really start puttig two and two together, there was a loud commotion that caused me to look over at Antony. He was sprawled on his back on the ground with the R&B guy towering over him. Antony got to his feet and made a cautious lunge towards the guy. Speed Demon's friend was quick but not as quick as Antony and my friend went right through the guy as if he had been a ghost. Antony easily caught himself before falling to the ground again but he made a run for me.

"There goes that plan" I heard someone grumble but it didn't seem to come from the two guys…ghosts…whatever they were.

"Oh my God" I whispered. Antony was standing between Speedemon and I, his arms outstretched to keep me back. As if I wanted to go anywhere near the bizarre pair.

"What the fuck are you?" he demanded.

"Holograms" the one I had thought was Speedemon replied. He said it in the same tone as if he just realized that there was no way to get out of the essay he was assigned at school and was about to sit down to type it all up.

"How?" Antony asked skeptically. The holograms pointed at the two cars before they flickered away. I was pressed up against the Benz and I felt it shift beneath me. I yelped and jumped away from it. A long minute passed with Antony and I staring at the cars as if they were possessed.

"Faith" the voice was said gently so as not to scare me and it seemed to come from the Benz. Apparently the cars were possessed. "I know you recognize my voice Faith. It'll make things easier if you let yourself accept it" I shook my head as I tried to wake myself up. There was a heavy sigh from the Solstice.

"Come on Jazz, we better get this over with before we scare them even more"

The cars began rising up, components folding, shifting, turning, splitting, and molding. Two enormous grey fists formed and emerged from the Benz and they pushed the transforming car up to legs that had unfolded. The robot stood up to his full height and gave a small smile. He was different but there was no doubt that it was Quicksilver. Beside him the Pontiac had transformed into a small red robot and I could recognize the front parts of the Solstice that formed his chest. Quicksilver and the one he called Jazz knelt down in front of us. Quicksilver extended his hand forward but I backed away. Antony refused to move from his place between me and the robots. Kobe, upon seeing Quicksilver, went bounding forward. The young dog's knobby tail was going side to side so fast that he whole butt was wagging and I thought that he was about to explode with excitement.

"What loyalty" Antony mumbled as Kobe began assaulting Quicksilver's leg with licks. As soon as that was done, the Doberman began bounding sporadically around all of us. Annoyed with his antics and worried he might get himself hurt, I gave a short whistle. The dog came obediently to my side but he sat there staring up at me with his puppy dog eyes and restlessly shifting on his tan front feet. I barely kept myself from rolling my eyes and turned my attention back to Quicksilver. All fear had disappeared and was replaced by anger.

"What makes you think I want to talk to you?" I spat. Both Quicksilver and Jazz visibly recoiled at my words. "I helped you out when you needed it and you repay me by just leaving even after you promised you wouldn't. For all I knew you were dead. And then you lie and trick me into taking care of you _again_" I stepped out from behind Antony, who tried to stop me, and towards the silver mech.

"I saved you so you owe me. Besides, I didn't lie to you. I just didn't tell you the whole story. _And _I never lost contact with you even though you may have not realized it at the time" His response was bitter and the shutters around his optics narrowed into a glare. There was the thought that I would anger Quicksilver enough to make him hurt me but at least I would be killed speaking my mind.

" First of all, if you had had the brains to crash land somewhere else, or to not even crash land because that draws a hell of a lot of attention to an _alien_, then I wouldn't have needed saving. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time so technically you put me in that situation so my 'owing you' is cancelled out. Secondly, lying is the same thing as leaving out the truth. In my opinion, that means you deserve to be impounded or turned into scrap metal. And third, I didn't know you were Speedemon so that whole thing of you're not really leaving is worth shit"

"You were just scared shitless at the sight of the holograms and I felt your heart rate double when I started talking to you in vehicle form. Now how exactly would I have been able to tell you the truth?" I took a small amount of pride in how he avoided the whole leaving but not really leaving thing.

"You were talking to me on the Internet. Could have told me there…wait, how were you able to talk to me through the Internet?" The sudden question struck me and I just couldn't figure a reason how he was able to do it.

"I found your profile on the Internet right after we first met. I knew that I would eventually have to leave but I didn't want to lose touch with you. So I hacked in and made my own account. When we needed a place to lay low for a while, you were the first one I thought of"

"You promised me that you wouldn't leave even though you knew you would have to leave?" I cried. I was about to go into a whole other tirade when Antony's hand slammed down over my mouth, forcing me to keep quiet. Finally Antony decided to speak up.

"Ok, hold on here before Faith calls a tow truck. Obviously ya'll aren't going to hurt us because you would have taken Faith out the moment she started calling you out. Am I right?" Both mechs nodded their heads as I crossed my arms and Antony took his hand from over my mouth. It was a bad sign when Antony stepped up to the plate as the reasonable one. "But I'm a bit lost here. Faith cleared up the whole your being alien thing but I still don't know what you're doing here, how the Iron Giant over here knows Faith, and why you need to 'lay low' if that's at all possible with your size" Quicksilver let out a sound that sound between a sigh and groan while Jazz shifted so he could more clearly see Antony.

"So you are smart. Wouldn't have been able to guess that after all of the car chases you got us into" Antony looked away in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck at the sudden realization that the Pontiac we had been chased down in was in fact alive and had experienced the whole thing with us. I glared up at Quicksilver when I realized how he had been there for the second chase. He looked down at me when he felt my gaze on him.

"No one knows about the chase"

"That depends on how cooperative you are"

"How cooperative I am depends on if you tell anyone about that chase. This is an endless cycle that I can keep going"

Quicksilver and I were about to go into another round when Jazz broke in. He said something to Quicksilver in a language that I didn't recognize and would never have been able to speak. The silver mech looked back at me. He was about to reach out for me again but thought against it.

"I found Optimus and the others but we needed a place to retreat for a short while. I'll explain that later but for now, it's imperative that you meet Optimus and tell him about that night we were chased. Not about those idiotic humans but that cop car you and Antony were talking about on our way home. The one who hurt you" Quicksilver said the last part with such anger that I was stunned. Here I was thinking that he couldn't care less about me and then he goes showing emotion when my wellbeing was at stake. I ran my hands through my hair in a feeble attempt to sort through my emotions. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to concentrate on what was going on.

"What do you need to know?" I whispered, looking up at the aliens.

"Everything" Jazz said lowly. He then turned around, towards the hills, and called out in the alien language. Time itself seemed to slow down almost until it paused. A soft breeze brushed by us, lifting my brunette curls away from my face and caused it to dance to the gentle rustling of the grasses. Kobe turned to look at the hill, his ears flicking slightly back in uncertainty. I looked over at the hill and saw three vehicles rise to the top. Immediately I recognized them as the vehicles in the stable. The Peterbilt was in the center and was the first to begin transforming. Even though we were at least fifty yards apart, I could tell the intricacies of the mech. There was no doubt in my mind that this was Optimus Prime, the noble leader who had saved our world. On either side of him was the GMC Topkick and the Search and Rescue Hummer. They too transformed. Neither of them were as tall as their leader but that didn't make either of them less impressive. The black mech was fearful with the enormous cannons on both of his forearms and just by the way he held his bulky self. The other, although his weaponry clearly placed him as a warrior, emitted a calming yet authoritative aura that could put anyone at ease. I could understand why Taffy had taken such a strong liking to him. They walked toward us with great lumbering steps but their immense size did not cause the ground to quake as I thought it would, at least not until they came closer. When Optimus and the other two came up, I couldn't stop myself from being intimidated and taking a few steps back. I ran into Quicksilver's foot and jumped with fright since I didn't know he had moved so close behind me. Optimus came down on one knee, offering his hand towards me. His metallic fingers were slightly curled and his bright blue looked down on me.

"You do not need to be frightened Faith, and neither do you Antony. Please, we must know exactly what happened last night and most specifically about how those injuries were inflicted upon you" I stared at him in awe while mentally yelling at myself to get myself together before I ended up looking like a fool. I was used to Quicksilver which helped me with Jazz but the two newcomers, and especially Optimus, was something else entirely.

"Su-sure. No prob-no problem" I stammered out weakly. Optimus rose to his feet and began addressing his men. None of them were very comfortable with being so out in the open so they agreed to return to the ranch. Before they were about to leave, however, the neon mech became adamant on examining my wounds.

"You can practice playing doctor to the girl later Ratchet" the black mech said with a great amount of annoyance as he looked around his surroundings, searching for anyone who may see them. I looked directly up to see Quicksilver when he began speaking.

"If I may, Optimus sir, I'd prefer that Ratchet look at Faith now. Primus forbid that her injuries are worse than we feared, than it may make the biggest difference on how soon we can get her to proper human medical care"

Everyone was silent while Optimus was contemplating. The giant mechanoid watched me with his intimidating optics. I could feel myself tense up at his scrutiny and I looked over at Antony. He stood in front of Jazz, uneasily looking around at the towering robots surrounding us. Kobe pressed up against my leg, licking my hand in the only way that he could offer me his comfort.

"Quicksilver will assist Ratchet as he examines Faith. The rest of us will stand at ease until we are all ready to roll out. We will return to the ranch to talk. The children will ride with me" Everyone was surprised by the last part, especially Quicksilver. He stiffened noticeably but was not about to question his leader. With a nod of their heads all of the Autobots, excluding Ratchet and Quicksilver, walked away. Antony was rooted where he was with Kobe sitting at his side, daring anyone to tell him to move away from me. The fluorescent mech seemed pleased but he became business-like when his attention focused on me. Still behind me, Quicksilver stooped down and extended his hands so that they were beside me. I hesitated but Ratchet explained that it would be easier for him if someone held me up to his level. With a sigh I stepped onto Quicksilver's hands and nearly lost my balance as he stood up. I was told to remove my shirt and I did so slowly and with downcast eyes, with my back to Ratchet. I had my bra on, and nothing anybody could say would make me remove it, but I still held my shirt so that it covered the front of me. I could feel my cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment. All of my focus was centered on a patch of dirt far below. A green light flashed and rose from my feet up to my head, centering mainly on my back. Ratchet made a bone-quivering angry noise, one that I couldn't find a human equivalent to, from behind me. Suddenly his fingertips pressed against one of my wounds and I couldn't help but to gasp in pain. Quicksilver's hands shuddered beneath me and Ratchet quickly withdrew his fingers.

"They will pay for what they did to you Faith, I promise. Especially that leech who clings to that-" Quicksilver began spitting out words in Cybertronian that I rightly assumed to be vehement profanities. His fury made my heart stop in fear but at the same time the rest of my body shook. Ratchet spat out a low warning but I could tell that he was just as angry as Quicksilver. The next time his fingers touched me they were much more gentle, skimming over my skin. His metallic skin was smooth and had a warm quality.

"I wish that you had gone to a hospital when first sustaining these injuries but you did a fairly good job repairing yourself. However, I will give you the names of several antibiotics that will fight off infection. They'll sting but I'm sure you'd rather have a few moments of pain rather than weeks of pure agony" With this Ratchet removed his fingers and I turned to face him.

"Thank you" I quietly said with a weak, but genuine, smile. Ratchet returned the smile.

"You're most welcome" Before he was able to walk off, Antony spoke up.

"How did you know all that? I mean, I wouldn't think that giant alien robots would know about infections or even how antibiotics will sting" Ratchet answered as I put my shirt back on and was lowered to the ground.

"When we first arrived here I made a point in studying human anatomy especially after befriending two human teenagers. It's beneficial to know how to aid your kind and I am, after all, a medic for my own fellow Autobots. And also, we are more than just robots. We are alive just as much as you are" There was a large amount of footsteps as the rest of the Autobots came up from wherever they had gone off to. Quicksilver took a few steps back and then they all began transforming back into vehicles. Kobe whined at my side, unsure of what exactly was going on. I stroked his head with as much reassurance as I could muster. The whole process was so complex and at the sight of five mechs going through it at one time was enough to make my head spin. Optimus, the Peterbilt, pulled up closer to Antony and opened the driver's door. Antony and I exchanged glances.

"Kobe too, right?" I asked, pointing to my Doberman.

"Of course" he said with a chuckle. Feeling slightly better, but still extremely nervous, I motioned for Kobe to get up into the cab. The dog bounded inside, his docked tail wagging back and forth at an unbelievable rate. He settled himself behind the two seats, in the barren sleeping compartment. Antony was the next to climb in and then I followed.

I had never been in a semi-truck of any kind but Optimus' cab appeared like, I think, a normal semi cab would look like. It had plenty of gages, radios, and trucker-like devices. One thing I didn't expect though was how…well, stylish it was. The gages were set into flawless wood inlay and the seats were a smooth leather. The only thing that looked out of place was the red insignia on the steering wheel, the same as the tiny insignia above the enormous grill. Antony was sitting in the passenger's seat, staring around with wide eyes. Seat belts slipped around us and buckled into place. Once again Antony and I exchanged glances. A now familiar deep voice reverberated around us.

"My navigation shows that there is a clearing in grove a mile and three-quarters from the ranch house that will be fairly easy for my men and me. Is it all right if we go there?"

"I don't see a reason why there wouldn't be" The engine roared to life and it was slightly deafening until it softened to a lull. Optimus began pulling forward and onto the road. I could see in the side mirror the rest of the Autobots falling into line behind him.

"I wasn't sure if we were welcome on the ranch once you found out who we really are"

"Of course you're welcome" my voice still hesitant but incredelous. It was hard to explain how I was scared but not fearful of the Autobots themselves. Just at how unknown all of this was and how I knew that nothing would ever be the same.

"I have no problem with ya'll staying at the ranch. And I'm not even saying that because you're a bunch of twenty-some-odd foot tall alien robot mech things that could step on us if we piss you off" Antony said as he looked out the front window, smiling. My friend had gotten over his fear quickly and was living every little boy's dream; I knew he was enjoying every second of it even if he was scared to death when Quicksilver and Jazz first revealed themselves. Optimus' engine revved a bit at Antony's words and he let out a sort of chuckle.

"I'm glad that we're so welcome. In all honesty I wasn't sure about how you were going to respond to us after the incident with Barricade and Frenzy…and of course Quicksilver's sudden departure" I felt myself blush at the mention of the incident. I was still mad at Quicksilver, there was no doubt about that, and I would make sure that he knew it. But that didn't mean I wanted everyone else to know as well. Optimus seemed to know exactly what was going through my mind.

"I do not condone Quicksilver for his actions. The way he left you without a farewell or at least a warning after you gave him shelter and kept his presence a secret, is inexcusable. To put it simply, he has always had a tendency to be a jerk. But at the same time he is one of my best warriors and it was in his programming to come find me as soon as he was able to"

"Wait, can't he hear all this?" Antony suddenly piped up.

"No. My communications are coming in only through the speakers. This conversation is solely between the three of us…and Kobe if he is capable of understanding" At the mention of his name, Kobe perked up. He peered all over the cab in search of the owner of the voice but of course he found no one but Antony and I. Smiling, I reached back and ruffled the dog's ears. There was a contented silence as I looked out the windows. The landscape was flying by, faster than I expected it would. Glancing at the speedometer I gaped at how the needle was pointing at seventy-five miles per hour. Most semis were lumbering and slow but Optimus was able to go this fast with ease. I wondered how fast he could really go.

"I'm glad that you are more at ease Faith. When I monitored you earlier I realized how frightened you were"

"Is that why you had us ride with you?" I asked, the decision suddenly making sense.

"Yes. I wanted a chance to speak to the two of you in private and assure you both that neither I, nor the other Autobots, would ever harm a human" His voice still held the authoritative quality but at the same time it was calm and gentle. It was extremely easy for me to believe him.

**_Author's Note: Allrighty, thats the end of my binge updating. I hope I left off at a good place and I prolly won't be updating until about Sunday. Soooo, thank you everyone for the reviews, they made my day!!!_**


	12. Chapter 12

We came through the arch that had been built over the entrance to the ranch and began driving down the long driveway that wound through the hills until we came to the ranch house. Instead of stopping though, Optimus took a right onto a thin dirt road that led by the pastures and then to the beginning of the oak grove. I knew immediately what clearing he was talking about. I looked in the side view mirror and saw Quicksilver following close behind in his vehicle form. I wondered if he realized that we were headed towards the clearing that he crash landed in and where we had first met. Even if he did, it was impossible for me to tell when he was the Mercedes-Benz. When the road became too narrow for any of the Autobots to drive down in vehicle mode, Optimus eased to a stop and opened the doors. Forgetting that I was so high up I practically fell out but I hoped I was able to catch myself before anyone noticed. Kobe leaped out after me and bounded into the tall golden grass in search of something to chase. All that could be seen of him was his pointed ears.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say that that is _the_ worst trained dog I'd ever seen"

"He's still a puppy" I said, slightly pouting.

"Excuses, excuses" Antony said, egging me on. Rolling my eyes I let out a long whistle whose pitch flowed into different tones. The pointed ears paused, shifted, and then came darting back towards us. There was the tell-tale sounds of mechs transforming behind us but by the time we turned around, all five Autobots were standing up. I guess they had slowed down the transformation earlier so they wouldn't scare as much shit out of us. Quicksilver and I made and held eye contact. He knew exactly where we were.

It was a long walk to the grove. Optimus was in front leading the way while the rest of the Autobots were on either side and behind us. There were several close calls with Kobe's puppy attention span leading him almost directly beneath a falling foot but a quick scolding kept the Doberman heeling at my side the rest of the walk. I could tell that the Autobots were trying to take measured steps to keep a slower pace as well as try and navigate around the low trees. Ironhide grumbled a bit but Ratchet elbowed him in the side to shut him up. What took so long to get to the clearing though, wasn't exactly the slow pace that Antony and I had set because of our much shorter legs, but rather how hard it was for the mechs to get through the trees.

"I'm starting to resent this organic life" Quicksilver muttered.

"Aw, it ain't that bad" Jazz quipped. Quicksilver glared at the smaller mech who wasn't having nearly as much trouble with the trees as the rest of them.

"One shot sir," Ironhide stated as he started warming up the canons on his arms, "is all that it'll take to clear a nice path"

"Don't you dare! Those trees are over a hundred years old!" I shouted. The whole Autobot group, even Ironhide, laughed in some way at what I said.

"Well I'm over a thousand years old. So since I'm over ten times older, I get my way. I think that old Earth saying is 'Age before beauty'" Ironhide mockingly griped. Ratchet snorted.

"You sure aren't fragging beautiful so that does leave you to be the old rusty droid" Ironhide let out a menacing growl that I didn't know a robot was even capable of making. Optimus cast a sidelong glance over his shoulder and despite his disapproving look I still noticed a certain brightness to his optics.

"Now that I think about it," Optimus said to change the subject, "I don't think that I ever introduced ourselves to you. My name is Optimus Prime and I am leader of the Autobots. We are from the planet Cybertron and I trust that Quicksilver has already explained why we are here" Optimus had slowed down so as he talked to Antony and I he was walking beside us. He grimaced when a branch hit him in the chest but he did his best to ignore it. "To your right is my First Lieutenant, Jazz" The mentioned mech stopped to perform a gangsta lean, crossing his arms, and gave a nod of his head. "Behind Jazz is my Ammunitions Specialist, Ironhide. He takes great pride in his weapons and aim but he knows _that we do not harm humans_" The last part seemed to be more of a warning towards Ironhide then a reassurance for Antony and I. "Directly behind you is Ratchet, the Chief Medical Officer" I looked over my shoulder at him and he gave a wink by quickly dimming and then brightening one of his optics. I couldn't help but to smile as I returned to looking ahead. "I know that you, Faith, know Quicksilver but I don't think Antony does. He is one of the younger of the Autobots but one of the best snipers and just as adequate on the front-lines" Quicksilver seemed to puff up at the praise as he walked behind Optimus.

By that time we broke through the tree line and came out into the clearing. It looked much like it had last time except that the smoking crater had small sprouts of grass growing from the exposed dirt.

"Nice landing" laughed Jazz. Quicksilver let out an annoyed whirring sound that I couldn't exactly describe or compare to.

"From what I've heard, yours didn't exactly go smoothly" I suddenly made the connection of the mysterious asteroid crashing in the Los Angeles area about three months before. With a glance over at Antony I knew he was starting to put everything together as well. The Autobots walked further into the valley, Jazz and Quicksilver over to the remnants of Quicksilver's landing. They talked in their language and exchanged insults along with a few pushes. Kobe brushed up against me, having reappeared from wherever he'd been. I knelt down and scratched him as he gave a doggy grin with his big tongue hanging from the side of his mouth. A polite cough sounded from above me and I knew that it was time to tell Optimus, who had once again knelt down, all that had happened. I slowly stood up and after a feeble glance over at Antony, I began recapping all that had happened. It didn't take long since the whole incident didn't last more than five minutes. By the time I was done, the Autobots had formed a loose ring around me and Antony.

"There's no doubt that that was Barricade and Frenzy" Ironhide gruffly said. His cannons began glowing a bit but Ratchet put a hand on his friend's shoulder before they could activate any further.

"I will alert Bumblebee, in case Barricade sends Frenzy after Sam or Mikaela" Optimus said as he seemed to concentrate on something.

"And the Lennox family?" Ironhide asked in a slightly softer tone. Optimus no longer had that far off look to his eyes and he shook his head.

"I will tell Captain Lennox and maybe recommend that Sergeant Epps stay with them but I don't think they've had enough contact with us to make them a target" Ironhide looked relieved and at once the gruff and irritated persona returned.

"So who exactly are this Barricade and Frenzy?" Antony asked while peering up at the giant faces surrounding us.

"Decepticons, our enemy. They came here after the Allspark" Jazz explained. Antony's face just filled with confusion.

"I'll explain it all later" I whispered to him. He nodded his head but didn't seem too happy about being in the dark. We stood close together as the Autobots began talking amongst themselves. I had a brief thought that at least it was in English so we could understand.

"I just don't understand why the two punks would attack Faith and Antony…unless they know we're here"

"That's not likely, I've hidden our signatures"

"Well, obviously it is likely or else they wouldn't have attacked"

"It doesn't matter if it was coincidental or not, the humans need to be protected" I felt Antony bristle up next to me. He hated being thought of as being defenseless and took great pride in keeping his rep up.

"I don't know about the Barricade guy, but I can take on the midget tin can, I can promise you that" Jazz looked down at Antony with an amused look on his face.

"Can I keep him?" the red mech asked as he pointed a claw-like finger down at Antony while looking at Optimus.

"Can _I _keep _him_?" Antony asked, his wistful eyes filled with the memory of how Jazz was able to transform into Antony's dream car.

"Only if he wants to end up in a pile of charred metal" I muttered under my breath. Antony groaned beside me and even though I couldn't see it, I was sure he was rolling his eyes. Jazz curiously cocked his head to the side.

"You really did blow up a car" he stated incredulously.

"It even made the evening news and the firefighters who responded know him by name" I said with a smirk.

"I'm glad that you're all getting to know each other but there's more important issues at hand" Ironhide practically growled. Optimus nodded his head in agreement although he did seem amused by the earlier topic.

"What are we going to do about our present residence? If Barricade were to locate us here…" Ratchet's calm voice trailed off. No one wanted to think of the consequences.

"Faith said that it was all right for us to stay on the ranch. We must still remember that we're still being pursued by the group of humans" The last part caught my attention. Now I knew why exactly the Autobots needed to go into hiding. I was so deep in thought that it took Ratchet a second time asking for me to snap out of it.

"Trust me, there's no problem with you guys staying at the ranch. I mean, you saved the world so it's the least I can do" I confidently told them.

"See, you do owe us" Quicksilver coyly said as he crossed his arms over his massive chest. I moved so that I was facing him directly and I pointed a harsh finger.

"No, I owe _them_. _You_ came late so I have no obligation at all to help you" Quicksilver glared as Jazz and Ratchet burst out laughing.

"She's right, you know. I wouldn't piss her off anymore or else you'll be wandering the roads all on your lonesome" Ironhide snickered. Quicksilver took a step back, his battle mask beginning to cover his face. Before things got out of hand, Optimus made a whistling sound that caught everyone's attention.

"What 'bout Ahearn?" Jazz asked.

"We have to tell Popi. I can't lie to him like that" I immediately responded.

"It may just be best for him to remain ignorant of our presence. We can't bring any more innocent humans into this" Ratchet said while he shifted on his feet. Surely he didn't want to have any more humans having the same injuries he had just examined on me. At the thought I felt a dull pain in my back and I realized that the painkillers would be wearing off soon.

"No, Faith is right. Besides, those who leave out the truth are just as guilty as those who lie" At Optimus' words I gave a pointed look at Quicksilver who tried hard not to glower.

* * *

I wasn't sure if I should have been surprised or not that Popi took learning about how giant aliens disguised as cars were living in his barn so well. After making sure that they wouldn't do any harm, he simply shrugged his shoulders and welcomed them to the ranch. The Autobots seemed genuinely surprised by his reaction. 

"I'm not one of those scientific crapshots, but I knew that the government was lying through its rotten teeth when they tried to explain the happenings in LA. Not that I expected it to have been aliens"

"We are thankful that you are letting us take sanctuary here" Optimus had explained to Antony and I on the ride back that a group of people with influences in high places had taken it into their heads to hunt down and try to destroy the Autobots. Since the mechs would not harm humans, they decided to go into hiding until the government was able to dismantle the human group. All but one of the Autobots that were known to be on Earth were on the ranch. The mech who wasn't there was the one called Bumblebee and he remained to look after his charge in case the human group decided to go after the teenaged boy or his girlfriend, both of whom had helped in the battle in LA.

"This old ranch has served as sanctuary many times and will continue to as long as I'm alive" I tried to ignore Antony's quick glance over at me and I hoped that no one else noticed it.

Popi's calm demeanor, however, disappeared the moment he was told about what Barricade and Frenzy had done. To be more specific, his mood changed when he found out that Barricade was disguised as a cop car.

"I highly doubt that the local police had anything to do with the attack" Ratchet said, trying to pacify Popi who had announced he was going to get his rifle and go for a short drive in the ranch truck.

"Wouldn't be much of a surprise if they were," Popi snorted in return. It took some talking but eventually I got Popi to calm down. Once I did, I whispered a small request in his ear. He gave my arm a squeeze and gave me his permission. While Jazz was filling Antony in about the whole Allspark thing and the rest of the Autobots were stretching their legs to examine their surroundings, I snuck out to the pastures. Terremoto was the first to spot me, neighing a greeting as he trotted up to the fence I was sitting on top of. He nuzzled my hands, searching for the treats he knew I had. As he munched on a peppermint, I slipped his halter on and then slid onto his back. With everything that had happened that day, I needed a break from this bizarre reality. The tall bay stallion easily stepped into a rocking canter as I guided him through the pasture. His movements were so smooth that they could have rocked me to sleep but at the same time his long legs carried us through the grass at a rapid pace. I let myself settle into my horse's rhythm, letting all thoughts flee from my mind. When we came to the end of the pasture, I began focusing on the fence. Terremoto's ears were flicked forward and I could see the rapidly approaching fence between them. The stallion's muscles tensed in anticipation beneath me and I could feel his eagerness. At the perfect distance, I squeezed tighter with my legs while leaning forward which allowed Terremoto to move freely. Exactly when I cued him to, the enormous haunches gathered beneath us and his front end rose; we were launched into the air with smoothness and ease. The incredible sense of flying filled me as we soared over the fence. We landed swiftly and continued through the hillsides without a second thought. I wasn't sure how long we cantered but eventually we were forced to stop when we came to a cliff edge. The view was beautiful as we overlooked a small valley and then the mountains. Judging by the position of the sun I decided that we'd stay the hour until the sun set and then go back. It was enough time to allow me some peace and quiet so I could collect my thoughts but not too long to worry anyone back at home. I let Terremoto drop his head and graze in the grass that rose up to his knees while I absently stared off at the view.

It was about half an hour until Terremoto flicked his ears back and then turned his graceful head to look at something behind us. Following his lead I turned around, placing a hand behind me on his back to steady myself. Quicksilver was slowly walking toward us while playing some sort of R&B music from his stereo. I tensed at the thought of the disastrous consequences that would happen if Terremoto would spook this close to the cliff edge but the stallion seemed almost completely at ease. When Quicksilver was close enough he must have realized why I had the strange expression on my face.

"At nights we would transform and the horses got used to us" the silver mech explained as he sat down beside us. I wasn't happy that they had done it but since there was no harm done I wasn't about to turn it into a grudge. Terremoto returned to grazing as I returned to looking out at the view.

"You could have told me that you were leaving" I said after several minutes. I would have been sad but I would have understood" Quicksilver was silent as he thought, trying his best to form a good answer.

"I had no experience with humans Faith. I still really don't except my brief time around Bumblebee's charges. And I didn't want you to ask to come with me, which I know you may have, because I don't think I would have been able to say no. Please Faith, I offer my sincerest apologies for acting as I did" I finally looked over at the silver mech. Even for my lack of experience with his emotions, I could tell that he was absolutely sincere with his apologies. I leaned back on Teremotto's back, my palms on top of his haunches as I braced myself. The lead rope I used to guide the Akhal-Teke laid across the base of his neck, well within reach but I doubted I would need it until we were going to leave.

"If I didn't forgive you Quicksilver, I would never have agreed to letting all of you stay here" The Autobot smiled and leaned forward, reaching his hand out so that the tip of his finger briefly brushed against my cheek.

"Thank you" I returned his smile but it quickly evaporated at the next thought in my mind.

"But you're going to have to leave again, aren't you?" Quicksilver had returned to his previous position, one palm on the dirt behind him as his other arm was draped casually over a raised knee.

"I asked Optimus if I could be your Guardian. I should have asked you first but I wasn't sure how you were going to respond. In all honesty I was going to be your Guardian whether or not you were going to give your approval. So no, I'm not going to be leaving and I don't care if you want me to or not" At his words, I couldn't help but to look up at him with an enormous smile. He looked back with an amused expression.

"Antony is going to be _so_ jealous"

"Actually, Jazz is contemplating being Antony's Guardian. But first he needs to look into why you keep mentioning this incident where Antony caused his car to explode"

"I'd think that the car chase that Antony dragged us into would have kept Jazz from going anywhere near that idiot" I pondered with a shake of my head. Quicksilver let out a short laugh that caught me by surprise.

"Jazz wouldn't stop talking about that whole thing. He was acting as if you all had faced a whole army of Decepticons and came out on top. We were all bored out of our processors after being locked up in that stable for so long and he was on me about not sending you that message earlier"

"In all honesty, I really wish I had been driving average cars for that. But then again, it was really you two who saved our asses" I grimaced at the thought not only because Antony and I came extremely close to being mauled but also I had been proud at being able to prove my driving skills.

"No Faith, _you_ are the one who got us outta there. The only time Jazz or I interjected was with the music or adding that little extra power and of course our reluctance to slow down…even though I would have liked to have stopped so I could get some good shots at those slaggers" I gave a soft laugh and watched as the sun began to lower itself closer to the distant mountains. Rays of gold shimmered around us, glinting off of Quicksilver's already shining armor.

"How did you learn how to drive like that?" Quicksilver asked off hand.

"Cars were really popular at my school, especially with my group of friends. It was kinda something I picked up"

"Did you race?" His voice was filled with humor. The only response I was willing to give was a smile but it was enough to answer Quicksilver's question. To make sure that the topic didn't go any further, I changed it.

"So you all being 'bored out of your processors' was the reason you were torturing me with radio?" Quicksilver smiled and nodded his head. If he was human I'm sure he would have been biting his lip to keep from laughing.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that but I couldn't resist"

"Well, thanks to you, Antony is going to kill me when he figures out what happened to the XM radio he gave me"

"Don't blame me for that!" Quicksilver quickly defended himself while raising the hand he had draped over his knee in surrender. "Ironhide was the one who was trying to switch the station. But Jazz and I weren't gonna have any of that" I rolled my eyes. That episode with the possessed radio had a whole new meaning now.

"I would have figured it out, ya know" I said hoping that my demeanor would help make my words believable.

"Yeah, we were gonna tell you soon anyway. We weren't sure how long how much longer your denial would hold out or how long you could blame Kobe"

"What can I say, I'm good with denial" I sullenly sighed. Quicksilver gave me an odd look but I just pretended to smile and nodded my head toward the sunset.  
A random thought popped into my head as we watched the sky turn pastel colors. That night, I knew the dreams would be coming back.

* * *

_His grip tightened around my waist as Danny broke into a canter. I couldn't help but to laugh at how my boyfriend had gone on proclaiming he wasn't afraid of anything but here he was, holding onto me as we rode. A smile hovered over my lips at two words from the pervious thought: my boyfriend. I squeezed his hand and guided Danny toward the ocean waves. The beautiful white stallion pranced in, spraying salty water everywhere. I laughed and leaned slightly back into my boyfriend. Soon we were riding Danny as he swam through the ocean waves, his powerful legs driving us along. Eventually though we had to end our fun and head back to shore. We slid from Danny's back, slightly jumping at the hot sand beneath our bare feet. My boyfriend was no longer nervous and wanted to know the next time we could take the horse out for a swim. I smiled and told him soon as I wrapped my arms around his waist. He kissed my hair and then we settled down on the blanket to let the sun warm our bodies. I must have fallen asleep because I was jarred awake by the feeling of being hoisted in the air. My eyes flew open and I saw my boyfriend smiling uncontrollably as he began running with me in his arms towards the dock that led out into the ocean. I protested of course, demanding to be let down. My boyfriend ignored me until he came to the very edge._

_"Now I'll let you down!" he laughed as he leaped into the air and threw me forward, into the water. The moment we surfaced, a splashing battle ensued until I felt warm, wet lips pressed against mine. I responded with vigor. I loved his kisses._


	13. Chapter 13

**_Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed or just read the story!!! This stuff is kinda fillerish but I didn't want them all to all of a sudden become BFF'S _**

I sleepily made my way downstairs while grumbling under my breath. Sunday was my one day that I could sleep in and I wasn't exactly thrilled at being woken up so early. To my great surprise, Antony was downstairs at the kitchen table already eating his breakfast. It wasn't until I was closer to him that I saw that he was practically asleep.

"They wouldn't let you sleep either?" I asked, as I grabbed a bowl from the cabinet. Antony groaned a response. He was still wearing the pair of boxers he had slept in, not even bothering to change. As I filled my bowl with cereal and milk, I happened to look out the window behind Antony. There was a clear view of the stable and parked between the two buildings was the Mercedes-Benz. I snorted and started eating.

"Is Quicksilver still trying to get you to take him into town to run the errands?" Antony groggily asked as he raised his head up, rubbing his eyes with one hand. He wasn't a morning person even if it was nearly noon when we were woken up.

"Yeah but I'm not giving in. Ironhide will be there for most of the day so it's not like I'm going to be completely defenseless if Barricade or Frenzy shows up. Besides, I'll have Kobe"

"Sorry to put it to ya Faith, but Kobe wouldn't stand a chance against those guys" Antony said around a mouthful of breakfast. He was hunched down low over his food, his arm circling the bowl. It reminded me of an animal protecting his food but then again Antony always had an enormous appetite and he was never willing to share.

"Never said he could. But he would know when they're approaching. I mean, the dog figured out that giant mechs were living in the barn before any of us did" Right on cue, Kobe ambled downstairs from my bedroom. He sleepily curled up on top of my feet beneath the table. Even the dog was unhappy about being woken up so early on a Sunday. I took a few dry pieces of cereal and 'accidentally' dropped them on to the floor. The Doberman perked up just enough to eat them.

Suddenly, my cell phone started ringing from upstairs in my room. Antony and I groaned at the same time. I stared daggers out the window at the Benz. No matter what I did, turning it off, muting it, or whatever else my sleep deprived mind could think of, my cell phone wouldn't stop ringing. I was close to calling my service provider and demanding a new phone number but I knew that Quicksilver would be able to figure it out sooner or later.

"Ya know, you shouldn't be complaining. At least he used your cell phone to wake you up. Jazz went right up to my window and blared that "And All That Jazz" song from _Chicago_. I'm surprised it didn't wake you up too"

"I was beneath all of my pillows and Kobe" I grumbled. For whatever reason, the dog had decided to sleep as close to me as possible and somehow he ended up practically on my head. I wasn't so annoyed with him when I realized that he kept the sound of my ringing cell phone from being as loud.

Antony and I were silent as we finished our breakfast. After, we went up to our rooms to get ready for the day. Since Popi took care of the horses on Sunday, I was actually able to wear something besides a dirty pair of jeans and a tank top. I pulled out a nice pair of jeans and a cute top. Letting my curly hair down, I only pulled half of it back so that the curls would stay out of my face. Satisfied with my appearance, I grabbed my purse and slid into my favorite pair of flip flops. Antony was already dressed and lounging on the couch, flipping through channels on the TV. I didn't even have to ask because I knew that Jazz would be getting the silent treatment for the rest of the day for waking my friend up. With a sigh I walked out onto the porch, letting the screen door slam shut behind me. Jazz was in his vehicle form next to the house and below the oak tree that was outside one of my bedroom windows. I could faintly hear him laughing and I didn't understand why until I heard a frustrated yell of rage come from inside. Apparently Jazz didn't understand the concept of silent treatment. I was barely able to step out of the way before Antony exploded through the door. He jumped off the porch and while still in midair, launched a football at the vehicle. There was a _thud_ sound as the ball made contact with the passenger door. Jazz laughed as he peeled out of his spot beneath the tree, his engine revving with laughter. The Solstice was headed away when Antony chased it a bit and then stopped.

"Yeah and keep running!" he yelled. Brakes locked and a cloud of dust rose as Jazz came to a screeching halt. He wiped around in a u-turn and floored it straight for Antony.

"Aw _shit_" my friend cursed as he made a run for where he kept his motorcycle. As I started walking toward the old ranch pickup, I heard the motorcycle roar to life but it was nearly drowned out by Jazz's engine. I didn't want to know how this was going to end because I had the sinking feeling that Antony was going to end up in the ER.

"So are you ready?" The voice made me jump and I whirled around to see Quicksilver standing over me. I hadn't even heard him transform let alone sneak up on me like he had.

"Yeah, I am actually" I said as I jiggled the truck's keys. Quicksilver let out a sigh that he must have recorded from some program. "I'm sorry but you attract way too much attention. I just don't want to end up in trouble again if those drug-induced morons recognize you" I started walking back to the truck, thinking that I had won when Quicksilver never gave his response. The old rusty door creaked as I opened it. I had to slam it to make sure it was closed all the way but when I tried to turn the ignition on, there was no response. Not even a sputter. I narrowed my eyes at Quicksilver's legs which I could see through the windshield. Ungracefully I stormed from the truck and threw open the hood. The engine was gone. I stared at the empty space and the unconnected wires and hoses and other car stuff that I knew nothing about. Something hard and metal pressed up against the back of my calves. I whirled around to see Quicksilver in his alternate mode softly pressing up against me while his engine innocently purred.

Not knowing what else to do, I gave a frustrated cry as I slammed the truck's hood down. Quicksilver backed up just enough to let me easily walk to his driver's door. I made no effort in being gentle as I dropped myself behind the steering wheel and slammed the door shut behind me. The silver mech had the nerve to laugh as he lowered his roof. I crossed my arms grumpily over my chest but Quicksilver wiggled his steering wheel, bidding me to steer.

"Come on shawty, don't be like that" he said, the seats moving with laughter. Begrudgingly I put my hands on the wheel as the Benz switched itself into drive. I leaned forward and started flipping through the radio. Going through practically all of the stations, I couldn't find anything that suited my mood so I just turned it off. There were a few moments of silence before the radio switched back on and started playing one of my favorite songs. Slowly my bad mood drifted away and I settled comfortably against the cream colored leather seat. I ran my hand over the flawless dashboard. Quicksilver's engine purred softly as I closely examined his interior.

"I can't believe you remembered" I whispered so low under my breath I barely heard it.

"Remembered what?" the reply was just as soft. I could feel him shift beneath me.

"That the _SL500_ is my favorite car. I should have known the moment that I saw you as Benz that it was you"

"Which is why I didn't tell you that I had two modes. I mean, you would have figured it out the moment that I showed up"

"Soo…why did you choose this car?"

"I told you before, you've got good taste in cars" I smiled and gave the steering wheel a gentle squeeze, causing the engine to rev happily.

* * *

It was just my luck that everyone in the community decided that Sunday was the best day to run their errands. Wherever we went, there was traffic. Apparently it was Quicksilver's first experience with rush hour because I could tell he was getting frustrated even though he wasn't speaking. His movements were quick and almost jerky; he would eagerly accelerate but it took a heavy foot to get him to slow down. Several times, there were close calls that earned me angry glares from surrounding drivers. When I parked in front of the horse supply store, I hoped that perhaps the time I would spend inside would be enough for Quicksilver to cool off. After picking up the fresh supply of supplements and vitamins for the horses, chatting a bit with the owner who was a friend of Popi's, Quicksilver was giving off a strange feeling. He raised his roof the moment I sat down in the driver's seat and placed the boxes I had just picked up in the passenger seat. The moment that the roof was latched down, Quicksilver spoke through his speakers. 

"Please tell me that was your last errand" he said, exasperated.

"Sorry, one more. I have to check the post office to see if we have any mail" A groan erupted and Quicksilver's engine roared to life.

"Do we have to?" I couldn't help but to laugh at how much he sounded like a teenager. My laughter did nothing for his mood and he tore out of the parking lot.

"Yeah, we do. Antony's expecting a package and he would give me hell if I didn't go check for it…why don't you let me drive?" I offered the last part when the Benz cut off another driver, barely managing to not clip the other car. I felt the Benz become more receptive to me as Quicksilver let me drive. We headed toward the other end of town where the post office was. There were benefits to living on a far off ranch but not being on the post office route was not one of them. Driving with the flow of traffic, Quicksilver was earning awed looks now rather than angry glares. Finally things were starting to calm down. At least until Quicksilver began commenting on my driving.

"We could have gone around that car, it was going slow enough" he commented dryly as we came to a red light, having barely missed the yellow light because of the slower car in front of us.

"You are the epitome of the backseat driver from hell" I groaned, throwing my hands up. I could care less that the drivers next to us gave me weird looks.

"Well that's because I _am_ the backseat. And the driver's seat and the passenger seat and the-" I gunned it the moment that the light turned green in hopes that Quicksilver's own engine would shut him up. Of course it didn't work. The Autobot's mood went from bitter, to bitter and sarcastic. I really did feel bad because I was sure that this was the last thing that Quicksilver expected when he wanted to go into town with me so badly. So after running into the post office, getting a pile of mail, and then waiting forever in line to find out that Antony's much anticipated package wouldn't be in for another week, I practically ran back to Quicksilver. Waiting all that time in line allowed an incredible idea come into my head. The Autobot swung his door open for me, barely missing hitting the car next to him. Trying to hold back his excitement, he began pulling into the street on his own but I slightly tapped on the brake to stop him.

"Take a right instead of a left" I could almost feel my Guardian thinking. Then slowly, almost painfully, he turned to the right and away from the homeward direction. We were traveling five miles under the speed limit while melancholy music flowed through the speakers. I couldn't help but to crack up laughing. Eventually we had to pull over to the side because I wasn't able to breathe I was laughing so hard.

"Are you okay?" Quicksilver cautiously asked. I nodded my head since I was unable to talk.

"Have you ever heard of auto detailing?" I asked, finally somewhat regaining my ability of speech. I took the Autobot's silence as a no. "You might like it. It's like the ultimate car wash; soap, wax, polish, vacuuming, the whole shebang. I don't know if you'd like it but if you're up to it, I'd be willing to get you one for having to put up with my errands…even though you did bring this whole thing on yourself" Quicksilver's silence extended and he even turned the music off. He was probably looking it up on the Internet.

"I think…it sounds like a good idea shawty" I could almost feel him smiling and I could hear it in his voice too.

"Great! But we have to agree on something first" I demanded as he pulled into the street and went along with the flow of traffic. "You _have_ to be good. Someone else will be driving you a bit but it won't be very far. And these guys are…thorough…and the last thing we need is you transforming in the middle of the carwash because they went somewhere they shouldn't"

"I'll be good, Faith, I promise" Quicksilver said it with such honesty and seriousness I knew there wouldn't be an issue. At least an intentional issue.

The moment that we pulled into the fancy carwash, everyone's head turned to the Mercedes-Benz coupe. Some of the workers jostled with each other to make sure that they were the first to reach us. I couldn't help but to hold myself up more at being able to ride around in such an incredible car as Quicksilver. Pulling behind a short line of cars I went to open the door but the handle refused to budge at first.

"I thought you wanted to do this?" I whispered, trying to make sure that no one saw me talking to the car.

"I do…its just- I'm guess I'm nervous, that's all"

"Didn't they have these kinds of things on Cybertron? I mean, I would think they would"

"Yeah but you've gotta remember that your people and planet are as alien to me as I am to you. So this is kinda different than it was back home" There was a lot of truth to what he said that I hadn't thought of before.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this then" I offered. Just as I uttered those words, a car was driven out of the car wash, shining as if it had a brand new paint job. Two workers went over to it and began rubbing it gingerly down as another worker began vacuuming the driver's seat inside the car. I practically fell out of the car when Quicksilver almost violently swung open his door.

"I'm in" he exuberantly whispered before one of the workers walking toward us was too close enough to hear. I rolled my eyes and discreetly nudged the wheel with the heel of my foot when Quicksilver's excited purring became too loud. The worker, a guy a couple of years older than me and probably still in college, walked over with a smile that showed as much anticipation as Quicksilver was trying to hide.

"Hi ma'am, how may I help you?" he said, his eyes going from me, to Quicksilver, and then back to me again. As I explained what I wanted, I could feel the Autobot quiver with anticipation as I leant against him.

"Just be really careful with this car, its really special to me" I said with a pat on the silver metallic hood.

"Will do ma'am"

* * *

The moment that Quicksilver and I pulled into the ranch, I could once again feel everyone's attention turn to us. As soon as I stepped out the Autobot transformed and began looking at his lustrous armor. The biggest smile I had ever seen spread across his face, his blue optics even brighter as he looked down at me. 

"Thank you so much Faith" he said as the others gathered around.

"What the slag happened to you?" Ironhide asked. "When I caught a glimpse of you in town it looked like you were locked away doing hours of data collecting. Now here you are, acting like you were just honored by Primus himself"

"Faith just took me to this place"

"What kind of place?" Jazz walked up to Quicksilver and began examining him. The shorter red mech began making circles around the larger one. I stayed close to my Guardian to avoid being stepped on. It was hard for me not to laugh because Quicksilver had asked me to not tell anyone about getting detailed. Not because he was embarrassed but, to put it frankly, he wanted to keep it all to himself. So when Jazz kept pressing into what kind of place we had gone to, I came up with my own question.

"Where's Antony?" Jazz stopped his circling and smiled down at me.

"Taking a shower inside. So far its taken him over an Earth hour to get all the mud off of him. Nobody implies I'm a coward and gets away with it" With the last part, the red mech dimmed an optic and then brightened it. I couldn't help but to laugh as I leaned against Quicksilver. The timing was perfect because as soon as I stopped laughing, Antony came out of the house. He wore black basketball shorts and a blue shirt while eating an apple. The moment he saw Jazz he froze, my friend's dark eyes darting around to take everything in. He then sidled over to stand beside Ratchet. Both of us had quickly discovered that Optimus and Ratchet were the ones who were least likely to get involved in any rough housing that the other mechs tended to get into. Of course every once in a while I found in the two weeks that the mechs had been with us that Optimus was not a dull, personality deprived leader. I had never seen anything like the time that the Autobot leader took on his weapons specialist, lieutenant, and sniper all in one match. Optimus won while Antony and I stood to the side with Ratchet who was grumbling about spending 'Primus knows how much time' making repairs on his comrades.

Jazz was casting a mischievous eye over Antony, daring my friend to make a comment. The lieutenant's visor moved over his eyes but still allowed his smirk to be seen. I watched Antony, hoping that he wouldn't be stupid again but I knew that I would have better luck wishing for a winning lottery ticket. Antony took a loud bite from the apple and spoke around the mouthful of fruit.

"I have a thought. Jazz was buggin' me about how Quicksilver had been talking about watching a movie when he had been with Faith before. So I figured, why don't we watch a movie tonight?" I was the only one unhappy with the idea. Antony had been going on for a while about watching a movie that I wasn't exactly one of my favorites. It seemed all the guy flicks were the same; guy gets double-crossed, guy goes through montage and becomes better than ever, guy meets girl, girl gets kidnapped or killed or both, guy goes out for blood to seek revenge/rescue her, guy defeats his enemy. And involved in the whole thing was large amounts of blood, bullets, explosions, cars, and hot girls. Granted, I loved my share of action movies but only when I was in the mood for it. And that night, I wasn't really in the mood for it.

"Come on shawty. You humans keep coming up with great ideas today" Quicksilver said as he gently wrapped his hand around me and placed me on his shoulder before I could protest. Antony smirked, knowing that I wasn't going to watch the movie. He was wondering what I would do, whether I would go off on my own or bite my tongue and join the rest. I just pretended like I didn't notice Antony as Quicksilver passed him.

Quicksilver was a good Guardian. He somehow realized that I wasn't at all very thrilled to be outside watching a movie that, while I didn't dislike it by any means, wasn't exactly in the mood for watching. But since Antony had described the ultimate guy flick, the mechs were soon excited to watch it. Twice, Quicksilver asked if I really wanted to watch the movie with them as Antony dashed around to set up his projector. I told him that it was a good movie and that I would enjoy their company. I knew that he noticed that I never really answered his question. When I came out from changing into sweatpants and a white tanktop, I saw Quicksilver had transformed into his alternate mode and had a blanket draped over his hood so that his fresh washing wouldn't be messed up within a day. He was a bit further back from the rest who were settled in the golden grass, optics trained on the projection on the stable wall. Antony was fiddling with the speakers.

"Can you see?" I asked as Kobe jumped up onto Quicksilver's hood and curled up on the blanket. The Benz laughed and told me he could. I didn't ask how because I was confused with setting up the VCR so there was no way I would have been able to understand a mechanoid's anatomy. Kobe molded his body against the curves of my torso as I sat on the blanket, leaning against the windshield. My hand rested off the blanket, my fingers absentmindedly running circles on the smooth metal. My other arm was stretched over Kobe, holding my precious dog close to me. We watched as King Leonidas led three hundred of his Spartan warriors against the massive onslaught of the Persian army. The only time I moved was when I closed my eyes, grimacing, when I saw too much guts or when I gasped when a horse was cut down. Quicksilver chuckled when I had gasped.

"You care less when the other characters are killed but Primus forbid a horse is harmed" The only reply I gave was a flick of my fingers against his hood. Soon though, my eyes began lowering until I was no longer in the land of Sparta, but rather in the land of my nightmarish memories.

_I threw my arms around Pago's neck. We had gone through a beautifully flawless warm-up. There was no doubt in my mind that we were ready for the enormous competition that was the next day. My trainer stood outside of the arena, his arms crossed over his chest and his face beaming._

_"You and your boys will be putting on a show that they won't be forgetting anytime soon" my trainer told me as I rode Pago out of the warm-up arena. I couldn't help but to smile. The next day, the biggest riding competition in the nation, the National Horsemanship Competition, would be taking place and would be lasting throughout the oncoming week. My stallions and I had been working for months to come here and finally, it had happened. I could still remember the utter excitement my boyfriend radiated when I told him that I had qualified for this horse show. Unfortunately, because of school, my boyfriend would not be joining me at the show until a couple more days. But I wasn't too worried since everything was going so well. At least until I heard two words being called out through the showgrounds._

_"Loose horse!" Even though there were well over a hundred horses on the showgrounds, I knew that it was Spitfire. The red stallion had been too calm as of late and I knew that his troublemaking nature would erupt sometime. I couldn't go faster than a trot but I rode Pago over to where the call had come from as fast as I could. My trainer was left behind Pago's fast gait. It was easy to find Spitfire. I heard him neighing and when I rounded a horse trailer, I saw my beautiful stallion rearing up and striking with his front hooves at the man who held his reins. The older man showed no fear and looked at Spitfire with a face I couldn't read. No one else was willing to approach the two. I jumped from Pago's back and ran up to quell my stallion, leading Pago behind me. I had never seen Spitfire so angry. He kicked and bit at the man who kept him back by whipping at my Spitfire with a leather strap. Blood was beginning to pour from Spitfire's chest where the leather bit into him. I tore Sptifire's lead rope from the man's grasp. To my surprise and horror, Pago pinned his ears and tried to bite at the man as fiercely as Spitfire was. I backed both stallions up so that they could not harm the man while I profusely apologized. At first the man did not say anything. His eyes examined my entire body, lingering on areas that made me shift uncomfortably. I was wearing a tight fitting magenta polo shirt, riding pants that hugged my legs, and knee-high leather riding boots. It was the customary apparel for riding horses but I felt as if I was suddenly naked in front of this man. I took a step back and then another when his eyes met mine. They were a bright hazel but something in them made anxiety freeze the blood in my veins._

_"Hello dear Faith. That Spitfire really does live up to his name" he said._

_I had never met this man before in my life. He should not have known my horse's name. He should not have known my name._

"Faith, Faith wake up" I jolted awake with Quicksilver's combined words and soft rev of his engine. Kobe was sitting above me, staring at me with his ears down with concern. He pawed gently at my chest. The movie was still playing and everyone in front of us seemed completely absorbed. If I wasn't still shaking from my dream I would have smiled at how Ironhide's cannons were softly glowing as if he was eager to join the Spartans.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to doze off like that" I muttered, shifting my weight.

"Are you okay? You were shaking and I monitored an increased heart rate. You were scared" Quicksilver's words were so soft and filled with concern. He seemed confused and frustrated that he didn't know why I was so scared.

"I'm fine Quicksilver," I lied. "I just had a nightmare. That's what I get for falling asleep during this kind of movie"

"Faith…"

"I'm okay. It was just a nightmare. Nothing that will hurt me" I almost gave myself away when my voice shook at the last sentence; that sentence was the biggest lie of all. Sensing that he wouldn't get anything out of me, Quicksilver lapsed into a frustrated silence. I wanted to tell him, I really did, but I couldn't. If I told him then I'd have to face my nightmares.

A movement from in front of me caught my eye. Antony, who was sitting in between Jazz and Ratchet, was looking back at me. His face was full of concern but like Quicksilver, wasn't going to say anything. Unlike Quicksilver though, Antony knew exactly what was wrong.

**_Author's note: Ok, not exactly one of my best chapters but I needed something other than the dream cuz thats important but it isn't long enough to fill a whole chapter. And I'm sorry if I'm confusing anyone with the two storylines (the Autobots story and then Faith's backround) but it will make sense. If it is confusing to anyone, just know that the nightmares are actually memories and that at one point both storylines will come together._**


	14. Chapter 14

**_Author's Note: Thanks again to everyone who's reviewed! And I know that not everyone who reads this has the same taste in music that I do but it'll help to listen to Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls" to at least get the beat. There's my hint!_**

Everyone froze when there was the sound of distant thunder. I was sitting down with my back leaning against Quicksilver's leg and I could feel him tense up. Immediately Ironhide started charging up his cannons at the sound that was reminiscent of gunfire.

"Relax, its just thunder" I said as I marked my page. Ironhide gave me a skeptical look but powered down. I had a bit more experience with this planet and its environment than he did. Standing up I began looking at the horizon, easily finding the enormous grey clouds in the western direction. They towered miles into the atmosphere and dark angry grey in color. For a brief moment there was a flash of light which hinted to lightning. A sudden thought struck me.

"Do you conduct electricity?" I asked Quicksilver. He was leaning back on the palms of his hands. Cocking his head slightly to the side he considered my question.

"Yeah but I'm not sure if the electricity on Earth would be enough to do any damage to us" There were heavy footsteps coming up from behind us and I turned around to see Ratchet walking up. He evaluated the gathering storm in the distance.

"Electricity in power lines, as I've found out, won't do anything except give a slight jolting rush. Quite an experience. But this natural electricity could put us offline for a good while, perhaps permanently. We'll have to stay in the stable until the storm passes" Ironhide groaned and I patted Quicksilver's leg, knowing that he wasn't going to look forward to being cooped up in the stable for who knows how long.

"Have fun with that. I'm going to go inside to get changed," I said as I began walking back to the house, book tucked beneath my arm. Kobe, seeing that I was leaving, sluggishly trotted after me.

"Change? Change into what? It's too early to start your recharge cycle" Quicksilver said as he stood up. It took one long step before he was walking beside me, Ironhide and Ratchet following.

"I love riding in the rain"

"You're not riding in the rain" Quicksilver growled in a warning tone. I looked up at him with a melancholy expression.

"Oh, come on. I do it whenever it rains"

"Does Ahearn know?" Ratchet called from behind. I shrugged my shoulders knowing they wouldn't like my answer. There was a pointed silence and I knew that I didn't really have a choice in answering.

"He knows but he doesn't exactly approve. Its one of those 'You deserve what you have coming to you' type of things"

* * *

No matter how hard I slammed against the front door, it wouldn't open. Finally I relented, knowing that it would be a pain to ride with a busted shoulder. I stormed over to a window that overlooked the porch and violently slid it open. Quicksilver was ducked low to the ground and looked at me with an amused grin. He kept his hand against the front door, keeping it from opening. The rain made a _ting_ing sound against his armor but he didn't seem to mind. 

"What are you doing?!" I yelled.

"You're not going riding in this" he said matter-of-factly as if the decision was made and there was no going against it. "The horse could slip in the mud or you could accumulate a virus"

"Well you could rust from this rain" I countered.

"That's the nice thing about this new alt mode; the rain won't affect me anymore. Nice try though"

"So we're agreed. You're not going to rust, I'm not going to get sick, and Taffy isn't going to slip. Not that that's settled, let me out"

"You're not going to ride and you're not going to get out"

"That sounds like a challenge" I said with narrowed eyes. Quicksilver's shutters enclosed slightly over his eyes in his own glare.

"Don't bother human, you won't get past me"

"Oh, now _that_ _is_ a challenge" I slammed the window shut and made a run for the back door. I could hear ground shaking foot steps running along side the house and by the time I made it to the door, it refused to open. I let out a frustrated cry and kicked the wood as hard as I could. Quicksilver let out a laugh from the other side. Every attempt ended in that way, even when it came to the windows. I knew that the Autobot was thoroughly enjoying himself. What he didn't know was that there was one way out of the ranch house that only I knew about.

I made a big show of running up to my room, my feet hammering against the wood steps and flooring. When I came to my room I slammed the door with a loud bang. To make sure that Quicksilver couldn't look in I went and closed all of the curtains. Kobe had been sleeping on the floor when I had first stormed in and he watched me with his ears flat against his head, unsure of what was going on. Once I had closed Quicksilver out I sat down next to Kobe and began scratching behind his ears and on his stomach. The Doberman closed his eyes in pleasure and gradually dozed back to sleep. Kobe was fast asleep when I opened my closet door. It was fairly large and I pushed aside the hanging clothes to reveal a small space that was hidden except to those who looked for it. I stepped behind the clothes and then moved them back together. It would have been hard doing all of this in the dark but I had made so many midnight escapes through the trap door before the Autobots showed up that I knew everything by touch. Without a sound I opened the small door on the floor and stepped onto the ladder that led down the narrow chute. There was no telling the history of the secret passage and I tried to think of exciting adventurous reasons for it rather than being a psychotic stalker's entrance to kill the house's past victims. Of course Popi's father had built the house himself but that didn't stop my imagination from thinking up ridiculous scenarios. Having reached the tunnel that began at the bottom of the ladder, I began running. I didn't know how long Quicksilver would wait before going back to the stable and if he got back before I did, then I wouldn't be able to make my escape. Of course I knew that Optimus and Ratchet would probably be against my romp in the rain but I was hoping that they'd have a carefree moment and let me go. Or at least give me a head start. I would be able to do a lot with a head start. At the end of the passage I came to another ladder but this one led up into a cupboard in the feed room. I pushed the trap door open and crawled from the cupboard. Cybertronian voices were coming from the stable and I heard everyone but Quicksilver.

I knew that if the Autobots weren't in vehicle mode their expressions would have been that of shock as I came walking nonchalantly from the feed room and into the barn aisle. Satisfied with myself, I listened to the silence as I slipped into Taffy's stall and buckled her halter and lead rope. Someone was bound to be letting Quicksilver know that I had escaped so I didn't have time to saddle the horse. Taffy flipped her head, looking forward to our romp in the rain. I easily swung onto her back and walked her into the middle of the barn aisle. Out the open Northern doors I could see Quicksilver's silver legs approaching through the haze of falling water. Unable to see Taffy and me inside, he came to the doors and started the process of transforming into a Mercedes-Benz. He was in the very middle of it when he must have seen me because he faltered. Returning to his mech mode he knelt down on one knee so he could see me clearly. His look of utter disbelief was priceless. It must have been a blow to his ego that the little adolescent human was able to get past the seasoned front line warrior. I waved to him as I wheeled Taffy around and urged her into a gallop right out the Southern doors. Despite the falling rain I could still hear Quicksilver's frustrated yell but it was drowned out by roars of laughter.

* * *

I knew that Quicksilver would be furious when Taffy and I returned, but the ride was well worth it. In the faint distance I could hear the sounds of cracking thunder, and the rain was gently falling against my wet skin. The golden grass surrounding us swayed and danced as the raindrops hit them and the sound of the rain nearly lulled me to sleep. I pulled Taffy in from the lope and raised my head up to the sky. Keeping my eyes closed, I let the rain caress my face. With a laugh I patted Taffy's soaking wet neck. She loved this as much as I did. Thankful to have such an incredible horse as her, I reached forward and hugged her around her neck, my hands interlocking at her chest. Strands of my brunette hair escaped the restraint of my hair band and fell forward over my face. She arched her delicate neck back towards me and nuzzled my knee, returning my hug as best she could. After a final squeeze I raised myself up into a sitting position, undoing my pony so I could get all of my hair back into it. I cursed when the band snapped as I was wrapping it around my ponytail. With nothing else to hold it back, I let my hair down; it was soaked through and through, the water creating soft spiral curls that I had to admit were actually really pretty. The brunt of the storm would soon be approaching and it may have been a blast riding in the rain, it would be a nightmare trying to get back in the midst of lightning and thunder. I wheeled Taffy around and we cantered back to the stable. The little mare's movements were so smooth and I was so used to them that it felt as if we were floating over the ground. Her mane rose and fell with each of her strides and she kept her ears forward, looking forward to the warmth and treats that she knew she would find back in the stable. Completely at ease, I let go of the lead rope and placed my hands on either side of her neck. Taffy knew I was placing all control onto her golden shoulders and she cantered a bit faster. There was no worry of slipping in the mud since there hadn't been enough rain to make the trail slick. When the stable came into view, I saw lights spilling out of the open Southern doors. Taffy and I were returning from the Western direction so I couldn't see if the doors behind the Autobots were open. I grabbed hold of the lead rope as Taffy eagerly jogged inside. 

An annoyed growl came from towards the end of the row of cars but I ignored it. I smiled at Jazz who was in vehicle mode, parked between Quicksilver and Ratchet. The door behind them was wide open but I didn't see any sign of Antony. Before I could close the doors, I slid of Taffy and left her standing in the barn aisle as I went into the lounge. With a little digging I found a specific blanket that would get her warmed up and dry. I tossed it over her, secured it, and led her back into her stall where I gave her some carrots that I had also grabbed. Once she was taken care of, I jogged over to the great doors so that I could close them and keep the cars from getting wet.

"What's that earth saying? Oh yeah, you look like a drowned rat" Quicksilver muttered vehemently beneath a slightly revving engine. I flicked tiny water droplets from my fingers at him and made sure to rub up against him as I passed. He shifted on his wheels to get away from me and shuddered at the water that was now on him.

"Quiet Quicksilver," Optimus said from the end of the row. "Ignore him Faith. I'm just glad that you're safe after that most unwise ride. I have to admit that I'm confused about why you made that kind of decision. There is nothing but a virus to gain from it"

"I love the rain and I love riding in it. It's hard to explain why but it's kind of like every once in a while, I have to do something stupid and fun so I don't become so uptight. Like getting on an insane rollercoaster or harassing the rent-a-cops at the malls" I told him as I pushed one of the rolling doors closed. I had to put a little bit more effort into it because my riding boots kept slipping on the wet concrete.

"You humans sure enjoy your thrills" Ironhide muttered. I forgot that they probably needed to look up rollercoasters, rent-a-cops, and malls.

"Yup, we're a strange bunch" I replied in agreement as the door slid all the way closed. I heaved a great sigh and walked over to the other door.

Without any warning I felt two gigantic arms wrap around my waist and haul me up off my feet. I let out a scream and twisted so I could see my attacker. Antony was looking at me with an evil glint in his eyes. He carried me out of the stables and toward a gigantic muddy puddle. I began yelling at him and squirming to get out of his grasp.

"Don't you dare Antony! I swear to God don't you put me anywhere near that mud!" He didn't even hesitate as he stood at the edge of the enormous lake-like puddle. I began hitting and kicking him in my attempt at freedom. Suddenly I felt myself thrown forward and an explosion of beige water surround me as I hit the muddy surface. I was in silent shock as the Autobots were laughing so hard that metal was shaking. Slicking back my hair I made a lunge for Antony. He made a run but I was able to grab his wrist, knocking him off balance and allowed me to put myself between him and his clean freedom. My friend wanted nothing to do with the mud and he tried to keep his distance from me but I used that to my advantage. I was no match for him when it came to strength so it worked out that I ended up herding him back towards the puddle. I ignored his warnings as I tackled him into the puddle. An enormous fight erupted with the worst kind of mudslinging. The water was freezing cold and I was soaked to the bone but it was the most fun I had had in a long time. I slammed a handful of mud into Antony's hair while he dumped some down the front of my shirt. I didn't hear the porch door open but soon Antony and I were being approached by a black barking bullet. I screamed at Kobe to stop but Antony was beckoning for him to come forward. The dog was a pain in the ass to give a bath to and I wanted him nowhere near the mud. Kobe slid to a halt, his ears up and head cocked to the side in confusion. I knew I was going to prevent him from joining us in the mud, at least until I heard several metallic voices egging him on.

"Come on Kobe, go for it!" I heard them saying. I gave an angry glare over to the stable. Both doors were back open again and I saw Jazz, Ironhide, and Quicksilver kneeling in mech form so that they could see out the doors, laughing their giant trashcan heads off. I gave them the dirtiest look I could muster, which only added to their humor, before my attention was brought back to Kobe who had given an excited bark. Thinking that my lack of orders telling him to return inside was permission to come join us, he pinned his ears against his head and gave a doggy smile as he came bounding up to us. He leaped into the air at the edge of the puddle and came down with an enormous splash that covered Antony and I in a spray of muddy water. I shrieked and shoved Antony down, blaming him for my dog becoming so disgustingly dirty. Kobe ran around the puddle in the way only a puppy can, barking happily. The mudslinging battle continued but this time with Kobe in the thick of it.

* * *

It was a mixture of feelings when I woke up the next morning and saw that the summer thunderstorm was still rampaging. On the one hand I wouldn't be able to ride or be outdoors, but then again it meant a break from my work. I had made a brief trip to the stable so that I could take care of the horses and check on the Autobots. I was perfectly comfortable in sweatpants, a tank top, and baggy sweatshirt so I kept dry with thick raincoat and rubber boots. The horses were a bit unnerved by the sporadic ground shaking thunder but were, for the most part, content. The Autobots were either recharging or browsing over the Internet so they didn't pay me much heed except Optimus who issued his customary 'Good morning'. With the horses fed and taken care of, I made a dash back towards the house. Since Popi was inside watching the news and Antony was still fast asleep, I took advantage of the rare opportunity to read. Kobe followed me as I grabbed my book from my room and then out onto the porch. He curled up next to me on porch swing, quickly falling asleep. He was still tired from the battle in the mud and then the second battle that we had gone through to get him bathed. The rain was harder but still had that gentle, relaxing sound. I was sprawled out on the swing with one foot on the floor, softly pushing the swing back and forth. Kobe somehow manuevered himself so that he was practically laying on top of me, his rear pretty much in my face and his sleeping pointed head on my thigh. I was in perfect harmony and peace as I read for about half an hour before my cell phone began singing its tone, telling me that I had a text message. I pulled it from the giant kangaroo pouch of my sweatshirt and wasn't at all surprised to see it was from Quicksilver. He was wondering what I was doing. 

**I was just reading and watching the rain with Kobe** I replied. His next text came faster than any human could have responded. He asked if I wanted to read with them in the stable. Apparently he wasn't as annoyed with me as I thought he'd be after my ride in the rain or at least his boredom made him get over it. I began shifting beneath Kobe which was his cue to wake and get up. Groggily he did but he didn't perk up until he saw me rolling the velour leggings of my pants up so they wouldn't get dirty. I took a firm hold of Kobe's collar, as well as my book, and we made a mad dash towards the stable.

Surprisingly we weren't all that wet and dirty as we stepped onto the rubber matting of the barn aisle. I ordered Kobe to stay while I went to the lounge to get a towel to dry our feet off. When I came over to the Autobots, the giant doors were already open and Ironhide's tailgate was down.

"Aw, you missed me" I said as I passed Quicksilver, patting his hood. He gave a rev of his engine but I knew he wasn't annoyed with me anymore.

I pulled myself up into the GMC's bed and settled myself with my back against his cab. I caught a quick glance of Kobe's black and tan butt disappearing beneath Ratchet. The dog adored Ratchet and despite the medic's grumbling I knew that Ratchet enjoyed the dog's company. The rain softly fell against the wooden roof of the barn, creating a melodic _pitter-pattering _sound. It took the Autobots a couple of minutes to convince me to read aloud. I was thankful that I was only in the first chapter of the book which made it easier to give them summary. There was a slight concern for me that the book was about a group of people living through World War II and that it would be a sore subject but the alien soldiers only asked curious questions about the war. I actually felt happy that they would ask me and not immediately look it up on the Internet, especially since history, and especially the world wars, was my favorite subject at school. I had been in Advanced Placement every year since my sophomore year.

We made it through one chapter before my stomach decided that it had had enough. Apparently I had forgotten to feed everyone but myself. There was an awkward silence after my stomach growled.

"You're hungry" Ratchet said, stating what was obvious to at least him and me. I sighed and tried to think of where I could get some food. There wasn't any in the lounge after Antony's arrival to the ranch which meant that all of the food was back in the house. I smiled as I pulled out my cell phone. There was someone that was back in the house with the food. My fingers punched the numbers on my cell phone at a quick pace. It rang a few times before Antony's groggy voice came on.

"What do you want?" he sleepily growled.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine" I said overly cheerful just to provoke him. "Well, its actually almost afternoon, so good afternoon" Another growling groan was his reply. "Why don't you bring some food out to the stable? Those microwaveable pizzas would be nice"

"Screw you Faith. There's no way that I'm going out in the pouring rain just to feed you. I'm going back to sleep"

"I'll send Kobe in. And he's out here with me which means he'll be wet and muddy by the time he gets to you"

"My doors locked" he replied smugly. I rolled my eyes and tried another approach.

"You always sleep to noon and its 11:30 so you might as well get up"

"I have a quota to meet" I knew he was about to hang up so I went to my last resort.

"I'll pay you five bucks"

"Not getting out of bed for anything less than a ten"

"Deal" I said. It was a lot cheaper than the last time I had to pay him to do something for me. Antony hung up and ten minutes later I heard the stable doors being opened. I got out of the bed of the truck and skipped over to Antony. Taking one of the plates he held from him I gave him a swift kiss on the cheek before he could object. My friend made a face, not from the kiss but because he knew he wouldn't be able to stay made at me for too long even if I had committed the unforgivable crime of waking him up.

"You're a manipulator, you know that?" he sighed as he followed me back up into the truck bed.

"Its something that I take great pride in" I said before taking a bite into my deliciously warm pizza.

"Remind me not to let her and Sam team up anytime soon," I felt Ironhide grumble, "There's no telling what catastrophes those two would talk people into" I didn't know much about this Sam but I took Ironhide's grumble as a compliment.

The rest of the day went relatively slow. Antony and I played with a deck of cards that I always kept in the lounge. The whole while we explained the rules of the different games we played to the Autobots. Ironhide took a strong liking to poker and he spent a lot of the time quietly playing Internet poker. The only time he made any noise was when he was kicked off of one website because he had hacked in and was looking at other players' cards. The Topkick couldn't understand why exactly he had been kicked off.

"It's because you cheated Ironhide. You can't do that"

"Not my fault if I have a natural advantage" he grumbled.

"Hey, if you're playing the humans' games, you've gotta play by their rules!" Jazz said, laughing. Ironhide just grumbled. It didn't help when Optimus started chuckling.

"I never thought that you'd have to resort to cheating to win a game, old friend" the Peterbilt said.

"Fine, oh mighty one, let's see how you do at this!" I would have given my left arm to be able to view the poker website that Optimus and Ironhide were playing on. Every once in a while, Ironhide would let out a swear, it didn't matter if he had dealt a winning or losing hand, while Optimus would start laughing. Apparently the Autobot leader had an undiscovered talent at playing poker since by the sounds of his amused laughter, he was killing Ironhide. Antony and I eventually bailed out of the GMC truck when he started violently shaking from a surprise hand that leveled him. I retreated over to Quicksilver's hood while Antony went into the lounge to return the cards.

A dismayed cry came from the lounge and I cringed as Antony came running out with the battered XM radio and MP3 port.

"What did you _do_ to this thing?" my friend asked while holding it up for me to see more clearly. Quicksilver began shaking beneath me from laughter and I hit his hood with the palm of my hand. The silver Benz just started laughing harder when I winced when my hand started smarting from the hit.

"It was possessed" I said simply, while nursing my hand. Antony narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what I was saying. "Before we knew who they really were, our lovely friends decided that they wanted to listen to some music. I did what I had to, to shut up the radio"

"You butchered it! Do you know how much money I spent on this?!"

"Don't get mad at Faith, Antony. If it wasn't for these sparklings, she wouldn't have been in the position to put the radio off-line" I thanked Ratchet for defending me while Quicksilver and Jazz gave cries of protest. Antony threw his hands up in defeat before he disappeared to only reappear with a screwdriver. He dramatically sat down in the barn aisle as he began working on the radio/port which I had done a lot more damage to than I had originally thought; apparently those things don't hold up very well when angrily flung into the ground. I reclined against Quicksilver's hood, reading my book. About two sentences were read before the Benz started shifting violently on his suspension. I scrambled so that I was sitting up but as soon as I was, the shaking stopped. Glaring at Quicksilver I settled back down to only be shaken again.

"Now that the Allspark is gone, is the sole purpose in your life to torture me?" I spat.

"More or less" he said with a laugh. Then he gave a thoughtful pause. "Can you read aloud again? I've never heard an Earth story before and I wanna see where this one goes"

"You know you could just look it up on the Internet, right?"

"Not the same" I smiled at my Guardian's simple reply. I began reading the story in a whisper loud enough for Quicksilver to easily hear but low enough so it wouldn't disturb the rest of the Autobots.

As I read, Jazz transformed and maneuvered himself so that he could peer over Antony's shoulder to see what he was doing. Since the red mech was smallest of the Autobots, he was able to fit in the stable while in his mech mode although it was a tight fit. With Jazz out of the way, Ratchet also transformed, careful not to squish the sleeping dog under him, but it was only enough for him to sidle over closer to Quicksilver. The CMO then transformed back into vehicle mode and asked me to read a bit louder. It took a while for poor Kobe to realize that his beloved Hummer had moved and when the dog did, he whimpered and squirmed back beneath the Autobot. Ratchet gave a sigh that sounded as if he tried, and failed, to make it annoyed but he still raised himself a bit on his suspension to allow the big puppy some maneuvering room until he was settled again.

Everyone was doing their own thing when Popi came in to check on us. When the older man saw that everything was all right, not that he thought it wouldn't be, he went into Apache and Kamikaze's stalls to visit with them. Every once in a while Antony would ruin the serenity in the stable by glaring over his shoulder at Jazz when the lieutenant would tell my friend something that he had done wrong . It was amazing really because even though the two were from different planets it was if they were long lost brothers. They were so similar that it was scary. When I mentioned that to Quicksilver he laughed and agreed with me, telling me that they reminded him of the infamous Autobot twins. Ratchet groaned and visibly shuddered at the mention of the twins whom Quicksilver had mentioned to me before. The silver mech had mentioned the twins' antics before and how Ratchet was usually the one who was tortured the most since the CMO was the one who had to spend an endless amount of time patching the two up.

"Yes!" Antony yelled as music drifted from the device, preventing any talk of the twins to go any further. My friend jumped up in his excitement and started flipping through stations. My heart jumped when, for a moment, there was the tell-tale music of a particular song that both Antony and I loved. He had passed the station that was playing it but when he recognized it, he stopped and raised dangerously mischievous eyes at me. Quickly, he flipped back to the station and turned up the volume. There was a loud groan from Popi when he realized that we were playing Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls".

"Turn that insanity off this very moment" Popi said, as he came out of Apache's stall.

"Aww, come on Popi. I thought you didn't mind our music" I said with a sweet smile, sliding from Quicksilver's hood. I put on my most innocent face and peered at Popi with wide eyes and slightly pouting lips. Jazz, who was in between Popi and I, looked back and forth at us with an amused expression.

"That song is absolutely ludicrous. He's saying that he's not going to be involved with this girl because he'll kill himself when she ends it with him. It's illogical and stupid" Popi finished the conversation by disappearing into Kamikaze's stall. Antony and I exchanged smiles. Popi was the ultimate authority we listened it, besides Optimus of course, but there were a few things that we could get away with tweaking him about. And this was one of those things. Antony pulled his iPod from his pocket and plugged it into the XM radio that doubled as an iPod port.

Popi almost had a heart attack when the song not only started from the very beginning but was also so loud that it couldn't be ignored. Antony began lip synching and we both ran over and grabbed Popi, forcing him over to where the radio was. I began dancing around, snapping and clapping in time to the music. My friend acted as if he was singing to me but we danced around Popi, preventing him from escaping our lunacy. I noticed that the heated comments from Optimus and Ironhide about their poker game paused as everyone focused on us. Popi acted as if he didn't hear the music or see us dancing but there was no way he could ignore us and we made sure of it. Antony and I started playing up the antics by exaggerating the 1950's feel to the song since we knew that that was Popi's 'party age'.

"Will someone please turn that thing off" Popi asked in a dangerously even tone as he stared at the offending device. A moment later, the music shut off but that was when Antony turned on. My friend started singing the lyrics as I clapped out the beat. Antony dramatically fell to his knees and clung to my legs while singing the lyrics, _You're way too beauuuuuutiful girl/That's why it'll never work/You'll have me suuuuicidal, suuuuicidal /When you say it's ooooveeeerrrrr /Damn all these beauuuuuutiful girls/They only wanna do you dirt/They'll have you suuuuicidal, suuuuicidal /When they say it's ooooveeeerrrrr_. His face was contorted with fake anguish as he sang to the heavens and me. I was laughing too hard to play along but I tried.

When the song finally ended, Antony and I collapsed onto the ground laughing. Popi quickly made an escape back over to his horses but I couldn't miss the wry smile on his face. Jazz and Quicksilver were laughing along with us while the older mechs were either chuckling or trying to figure out if the whole species was wacked, or just Antony and I

"Those two would make the twins proud" Jazz said as air rushed into his intake valves, reminding me of someone who was laughing so hard that they were having a hard time breathing.


	15. Chapter 15

**_Author's Note: I hope that this and my last chapter is better than my previous ones. A quick note, the term 'ponying' means that someone is riding one horse while leading another horse at the same time._**

Pago heaved a contented sigh as we ambled down the road. The reins were loose, allowing him to have his massive head level. I patted him with the hand that was holding his reins which made him issue another sigh. In the other hand I held Danny's lead rope, leading him as I rode Pago down a back road. The white stallion was happily stepping in every puddle he could and several times he tried to stop so he could lay down and roll in the water. It was like he was a newborn foal, experiencing water for the first time. Pago could care less about the water, neither avoiding nor rushing into what was left over from the storm that had ended the day before. Sadly, the rains had left the arena in bad condition and I wouldn't be able to ride the horses in it for several days. So instead, I took the stallions two at a time for a ride out on the ranch while Taffy wandered freely and Popi's two horses were out in the pastures. It was amazing really, because it was so hot and humid that I would have never guessed that a thunderstorm had just passed if it wasn't for the massive amounts of remaining puddles. My hands were still sore from trying to handle Spitfire who wouldn't stop jittering around, going beyond logic in trying to avoid getting wet. If it wasn't for me riding level-headed Terremoto while ponying Spitfire, I would have left the red stallion behind to deal with the water on his own. So my second outing with Pago and Danny was a welcomed, and peaceful, relief. One reason I loved the rain so much was because of how fresh everything was afterward and it was especially nice after the summer heat. As I rode down the road, with the ranch's natural beauty surrounding me from every side, I felt myself succumb to the serenity. I closed my eyes, letting my hips move along to Pago's floating walk as the stallions' hooves gently and rhythmically patted against the soft dirt.

I was so in tune with my surroundings that I heard the truck engine even when it was so faint that I could have thought it was my imagination playing tricks on me. The stallions raised their heads up, ears flicking back. Danny paused and turned his head to look behind us. I reined Pago into a halt until I saw Optimus roll up behind us in his alternate mode. Even though I was astride the large black stallion, Optimus was still taller than me. The Peterbilt's engine was soft as if being careful not to spook the horses even though they were now completely at ease with the Autobots. Well, except for Spitfire who still thought Ironhide was his arch-enemy and would try to kick the black mech whenever given the chance.

"I've been looking for you. I had no idea you could travel so far by horseback"

"Is everything okay?" I thousand scenarios ran through my mind. The first one was if Jazz finally met the fate of Antony's last car.

"Everything is fine back at the ranch but I'm not sure that if you're all right Faith" I gave Optimus a questioning look as I nudged Pago into a walk, Danny following suit. Optimus slowly rolled along beside to keep even with me.

"I'm fine. Why would you think I wasn't?" I asked. I knew though, what he was talking about.

"Quicksilver is worried about you. He said that night we watched the movie you suffered a nightmare. He stored his readings on you and shared them with Ratchet and I. You were extremely frightened"

"Nightmares are normal, Optimus. Just part of being human" I offered, hoping to put Optimus at ease without having to go any further.

"There are other things Faith" I was quiet and refused to look at the massive semi-truck beside me. "When Antony first came, he mentioned that he came for a reason, stating that he wasn't going to let someone hurt you again. Also, when Ahearn mentioned others taking sanctuary on this ranch, both of them looked over at you. There is also the fact that we learned that you and your stallions are national champions and achieved one of the biggest honors but you have never mentioned that. I have a feeling that these 'nightmares' of yours have something to do with what I just described" I was quiet for a long time, unsure of what to say or even to think.

"They aren't nightmares," I finally admitted, my throat clenching as if trying to keep me from revealing my secret. "They're memories"

"What are they memories of?" Optimus' voice was soft and he was requesting as a friend to tell him what was wrong with me, not demanding for me to tell him.

"Events that led up to something horrible that happened. The reason that I'm here" It took everything I had to keep the tears in my eyes from overflowing.

"What happened Faith?" I shook my head. Finally we had reached the point were I could not go any further.

"I'm sorry Optimus, but it's too painful for me to talk…to even think, about" This time it was Optimus' turn to be quiet. I listened to his giant wheels rolling through the dirt alongside the stallions' hoofbeats.

"Quicksilver is extremely worried about it. When he first monitored you dreaming about these memories, he stored the data and shared it with me. I shared his concern so I looked into your records. I found the police and court records, Faith. I know what happened" A sob tore from me and I harshly pulled Pago to a stop as I stared at Optimus with horror. "Even though you haven't asked me, I know that you want your past to remain a secret and I will honor that. No one knows of my findings, not even Quicksilver. In fact I put up a firewall up on the records to make sure that no one can hack into them" I had no idea how to react. Optimus knew of my past but at the same time, he wasn't going to tell anyone so my secret was technically still safe. I was so close to having a complete meltdown when I was pulled out of it by an enormous splashing noise. I looked behind me to see Danny standing in a puddle, his hoof pawing at the water. He was completely soaked and thrilled with it. The beautiful white stallion tossed his elegant head, his mane dancing, and then he let out a soft and happy neigh. Water was flying everywhere. A slow smile spread across my lips. It was then that I realized that everything would be all right. I was safe on Popi's ranch with my beloved horses. Five advanced beings who I had befriended would not let anyone harm me or those I loved. Quicksilver was there as my Guardian and I knew that no one else could do a better job of keeping me safe than he would. Finally I found my voice but my smile was lost at the seriousness of what I was about to say.

"Thank you, Optimus, for your concern and I thank you even more for keeping my secret. I'm still trying to cope with what happened and it sucks, but my nightmares are only going to be getting worse until I dream that final memory. I want to tell the others what happened, but it's too hard. Can you tell Quicksilver that I'll be okay?"

"Of course. And I understand what you are going through Faith. I'm here for you if you ever want to talk about it" We began going forward again at a slow pace. It took a while for the peacefulness and serenity I had experienced before my conversation with Optimus to settle in. But when it did, it seemed to be even more powerful than the first time. I knew that it was because I now felt safe with Optimus silently driving beside me, acting as a silent companion offering me all of his strength.

* * *

"Faith, Kobe is chewing on something" Quicksilver called out from somewhere near the barn. I had just come back from my ride with Pago and Danny and when I heard Quicksilver I made a mad dash to where his voice came from, Danny trotting close behind the black stallion. The moment I saw Kobe in front of the Southern doors I skidded to a halt. Before the young dog could make a run for it with whatever he was chewing, I slid from Pago and snatched it away from him. I made a face at all the dog slobber and held it at arm's length away from me with only two fingers touching it. It took me a while to realize what the bag contained. A wicked smile captured my face.

"Do you know where Antony is?" I asked Quicksilver as I shook the slobber off of the bag of water balloons.

* * *

While Quicksilver kept tabs on Antony and Popi, I filled the balloons with water and then put all of them in a knapsack. I had tied Danny up to the porch railing to keep him close at hand as I was inside having returned Pago back to his stall. Antony was an incredible athlete so he would be able to get back at me with ease but if I had Danny, then I had the upper hand. Especially since Danny lived up to his name Waterdancer; the horse absolutely adored water and if this became a full scale war, then the white stallion would have a blast as we both got soaked. As soon as the balloons and bag were filled I hid them so I could go upstairs and put my bikini top and board shorts on. Quicksilver gave me the okay and I slipped onto Danny's back with the knapsack swung over my shoulder. I didn't bother putting a bridle or saddle on, just kept the halter and rode him bareback. It was stupid but I didn't have time to tack up. Slowly I rode Danny over to where the silver mech had said Antony was. My friend was chatting away with Jazz and Ironhide with his back to me. Slipping the biggest balloon from the bag, I kept it out of Antony's sight as I rode up. Hearing Danny's hooves on the dirt, Antony turned around and gave me a weird look.

"What's with the swimsuit?" he asked. I casually shrugged my shoulders.

"You know how Danny loves water. Might turn the sprinklers on and ride in 'em since it's so hot" Antony told me he thought it sounded like a good idea and turned back to his conversation with the mechs without a second thought. Neither Jazz nor Ironhide gave away any warning as I walked Danny right up behind Antony and raised the water balloon directly over my friend's head. I dug my nails into the rubbery surface until it exploded. Water poured down on Antony as he gave a girly scream. Laughing hysterically I kicked Danny forward before Antony could make a grab for me.

"You're dead!" my friend cried as he made a run for his dirt bike. I just laughed even louder as I brought Danny to a quick halt and spun him around to face Antony. I extended a hand and quickly curled and then uncurled my fingers, bidding him toward me.

"Bring it on!" I challenged before Danny and I cantered off. An engine roared and Antony came flying from around the corner of the house, headed straight for me. This was a game we played often and we both knew he'd be going for the bag of water balloons.

Soon all of the Autobots were watching Antony and I ripping around the house as fast as we could. It was a bizarre dance as we would ride at breakneck speeds, skid to sudden halts, turn, spin, anything we could to achieve our goals. I kept a well placed distance from Antony and I would fling water balloons as often as I could. Soon my friend was absolutely soaked. Danny was the best partner for the whole thing, his movements smooth and all I had to do was hint at changing direction or stopping and he'd do it. Every once in a while he'd give out a happy neigh and kick, his beautiful white mane flowing with each graceful movement he made. The two of us had the complete upper hand over Antony and his stupid dirt bike. At least we had the upper hand until Popi came out of the house carrying another bag of water balloons. My eyes narrowed. _Traitor_. Antony made a run for the bag and got to it before I could.

Water balloons were flying everywhere. I used Danny's speed and maneuverability to my advantage while Antony used his football training to his. When Antony was hitting me way to often I ducked Danny and I behind Quicksilver. The silver mech tried to step out of the way but I just followed him. He gave a rumbling sort of laugh as Antony ran after Danny and me. Soon we were weaving around the forest of legs, dodging water balloons. I hadn't had this much fun in such a long time. That is until I slipped a bit on Danny's back. It wasn't enough to make me fall off but it was enough to send the water balloon I was throwing way off course; right into Optimus' face as he was sitting next to the house.

Everyone went silent as I halted Danny so fast that I almost went flying from his back. My terrified eyes were glued to the Autobot leader as a rather annoyed expression crossed his face. I could feel my heart beginning to pound in my chest when he rose to his feet, towering over us. Never before in my life had I been so intimidated by the simple action of standing up. My mouth was opened and trying to stammer out an apology but my vocal chords just weren't working.

"Men, I think Faith needs to learn her lesson" he said in such a stern voice that I almost keeled over right then. There was movement from behind me as the five Autobots circled around my horse and me. All of them had harsh expressions, ones that I knew they would wear in battle. Quicksilver stepped next to his leader, not offering me any help at all. Suddenly something heavy hit me from above. Gallons upon gallons of water was pouring down on me. There were several long moments of silence as I sat on Danny's back, both my horse and I completely dumbfounded and drenched; my jaw had dropped and my hair was dripping in front of my eyes. Danny was the first to shake out of it…literally. He shook his body like a dog would and I barely managed to hang on. The white stallion sidestepped and flipped his head, happy to be so wet. Eventually I managed to get my senses together enough to look directly up. Jazz stood over me holding an empty water trough and an enormous smile was on his face. Then, his movements quicker than humanly possible, he pulled out another trough from behind his back and hurled the water straight at Quicksilver. The silver mech was unable to dodge it quickly enough.

"What the slag! I'm gonna rust thanks to you!" he yelled as he lunged over me and at Jazz.

"That's what you get for your human getting my human wet!" the red mech yelled over his shoulder as he took off running.

An epic battle ensued. Still astride Danny, I sought shelter beside Ratchet as I watched in awe as the other four mechs began a metal grinding wrestling match. Optimus and Quicksilver teamed up while Ironhide joined up with Jazz. It wasn't real surprise whose side Ironhide chose since Quicksilver was always relentless in annoying the old veteran. And it seemed like Ironhide was finally able to get his revenge. If I had been amazed the first time that I saw Quicksilver save me from that Decepticon when we first met, I don't think any words could describe how I felt as I watched the Autobots spar against each other. Their movements were smooth and graceful but the moment they made impact, there was a large _crack!_ that reminded me of the thunder we had just weathered. Antony was standing on the other side of Ratchet and by the expression on my friend's face, he felt the same way I did. Danny watched, slightly nervous at all the violent movement and loud noises but I stroked his wet neck to let him know it was all right. I gasped when there was a bark from behind us and a black streak shot off toward the wrestling Autobots. But before Kobe got very far, Ratchet sprung forward and scooped up the bewildered dog. The Doberman whined, not happy at being able to join all the fun, but Ratchet carefully scratched him while grumbling in Cybertronian under his breath.

"Why don't you join 'em Ratchet?" Antony asked while never taking his eyes from the spectacle. Ratchet made an annoyed whirring sound.

"I'll be busy enough taking care of their moronic injuries, I don't need to add my own. Besides, it'd be an uneven fight and someone needs to make sure they keep their distance from you humans and the horses" With a smile I reached over to Ratchet, patting his leg and thanking him for thinking of us and the horses. The CMO made another whirring noise.

"I shouldn't have to be," he grumbled lowly. A loud, ground shaking bang made me look back at the match. Ironhide had tackled Quicksilver into the ground. The silver mech then retaliated by kicking his opponent square in the chest but Ironhide was so large and thick that it only made the black mech stumble back a few paces. However this was a big enough advantage for Quicksilver to nimbly leap back to his feet and lash out with a roundhouse kick. Ironhide was knocked to the ground but while he was there, he grabbed one of Quicksilver's legs and pulled the silver mech off of his feet. A wrestling match began on the ground and was impossible for me to distinguish the black and silver parts, especially when red was added to the mix when Optimus body slammed Jazz into the fighting heap on the ground. Optimus waited for a moment, probably smiling beneath his battle mask which had slid over his face, until Jazz was able to haul himself from the melee. The smaller red mech dashed at his leader and nimbly dodged a punch before dodging his own. Jazz may not have been as big and strong as Optimus, but he was extremely agile and quick. The lieutenant was a red blur as he darted around the larger mech, striking out attacks that Optimus was usually able to block. I was having a blast until Ironhide's cannons began warming up and he trained lasers onto Quicksilver. I cried out as I heard Ratchet curse while trying to hold onto the squirming dog. To keep the dog from falling out of his towering grasp, Ratchet was forced to put him on the ground to get a better hold. However the Doberman was quicker than the CMO expected and Kobe took off toward the lasers trained on Quicksilver, into the thick of the wrestling match. Antony tried to tackle the dog but he barely missed.

"_Kobe!_" I cried but the large puppy was so focused on the lasers that he didn't hear me. Thank God that Quicksilver did though. He leaped forward and covered the portion of Ironhide's armor that the laser was coming from. Kobe came to a confused halt, looking around in disappointment.

I let out a world-weary sigh and fell backwards so that I was laying along Danny's back. This puppy really needed to grow up. Ironhide was confused and a bit let down that he wasn't able to fire while Jazz and Optimus stopped. I heard Quicksilver explaining Kobe's fascination with lasers. None of the other mechs believed him. I propped myself on my elbow on Danny's white haunches. Quicksilver looked over at me, not having to ask his question for me to nod my head. He then fired up his lasers and ran the blue laser dot on the ground in front of Kobe. The puppy went berserk. He shot after it as if his knobby little tail was on fire, barking in ecstasy. The mechs stared, flabbergasted, as Kobe raced around them in hot pursuit of the whizzing little blue dot that always remained just out of reach.

"Primus, the insanity never ends on this planet" I heard Ironhide say. It was then that I noticed the wicked expression on Quicksilver's face and how the dot was headed straight for one of the giant mud puddles.

"Don't you dare!" I cried as I forced the startled Danny into a head long gallop to cut Kobe off. I was too late though. Everything went into slow motion as the blue dot came to rest on the muddy surface of the puddle. Kobe pumped his long legs like mad, his tongue flapping out of his mouth. At the very edge of the puddle, he soared into the air. I reined Danny to a halt to avoid the curtain of muddy water that exploded when Kobe met the water. Once the waters calmed, Kobe looked around in confusion. The dot had disappeared and was replaced by the sounds of Quicksilver's uncontrollable laughter. Slowly I turned around on Danny's back and stared death glares at my Guardian. I flipped him off, which only made him laugh harder, and slid from Danny's back. I called Kobe off to me, annoying the clanking metal that was coming from behind.

"Faith!" I heard Optimus shout. I turned around, a firm grip on Kobe to not only keep him at my side but to also prevent him from shaking. A wicked expression that matched Quicksilver's earlier one spread across my face. Even Ratchet had joined in on literally forcing Quicksilver into his alt mode. Jazz was using both hands to keep the driver's door open while Optimus, Ironhide, and Ratchet kept the silver mech from transforming or driving away.

"Car!" I cried as I pointed at Quicksilver and let go of Kobe's collar. The puppy happily barked and raced toward the Benz, muddy water almost pouring from his coat. Quicksilver broke out into Cybertronian profanities as Kobe leaped inside of him and Jazz forced the door shut behind. I was more than thrilled when Kobe heard my command to shake. Brown water splattered against the windows and a roaring whistling sound erupted from Quicksilver that was so loud that I covered my ears and Kobe howled. Jazz was on his knees laughing so hard while the other three were close to falling onto the ground themselves. They were so busy laughing that Quicksilver was able to open his doors, and top, to force Kobe out. The Doberman came bounding over to me and suddenly I didn't mind giving him another bath.

Quicksilver had to wait until the next day, in the late afternoon, for me to take him to the auto detailer to get cleaned up. He sped the whole way and refused to roll down any of the windows or put his top down, making me deal with the overpowering smell of wet dog that his interior stank of.


	16. Chapter 16

**_Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews. And now for the return of the horse dictionary!_**

**_Dressage: The guiding of a horse through a series of complex maneuvers by slight movements of the rider's hands, legs, and weight (I got this definition from If you want to see an incredible dressage video than look up Dressage on youtube and watch the video with Andreas and Blue Hors Matine. Pure beauty and the reason I personally love riding dressage. _**

**_Cross-Country: a timed event where horse and rider run across the country side and jump over obstalces, run through water, go own/up hills, etc. Considered one of the most dangerous styles of horseback riding. I've seen some photos of pretty nasty accidents caused by riding Cross-Country. And of course my idiot self still wants to try it._**

**_Jumpers: Horse and rider, in an arena, go over jumps as quickly as possible. Doesn't matter how you do it, just get over the jumps faster than the competition._**

**_Hunters: nope, not as in 'shoot the poor fuzzy woodland creatures' hunters. This is a style of riding where horse and rider jump over obstacles in an arena. Unlike Jumpers, however, this is about style and elegance. There's a certain form horse and rider have to have while jumping and this is what the judges look at in Hunter competitions. Jumping while looking pretty. I have no idea how they thought up the name for it._**

**_National Horsemanship Competition: I made that competition up. As far as I know, it doesn't exist. Just wanted to throw that disclaimer out in case it does. Oh, and horsemanship refers to how a person handles and relates with horses._**

My hands skimmed lightly over the tips of the golden grass that was swaying in the soft breeze. I listened as the breeze rattled the grass against neighboring strands, causing nature's simple song to surround us. Taffy snorted and whisked her tail from where she was grazing. Kobe was napping somewhere, hidden from sight in the grass that reached up to my waist. Quicksilver was sprawled out next to me on his back, arms stretched out and palms up. His blue optics were dimmed to a navy blue, as he fluttered on the edge of stasis. I walked over to one of his hands and gently traced my fingers over some faint lines etched into the metal. The hand slightly vibrated beneath my touch and his fingers curled towards me.

"What are these?" I asked softly. Quicksilver's optics remained dimmed as he responded.

"Scars" he said simply.

"What from?"

"The one your touching is from a trash heap named Skywarp" He went on to explain the battle and where it had taken place. This continued as I touched a different scar and Quicksilver explained how he had gotten that one. The silver mech didn't even have to look at the scar I was touching to know which one it was and he easily remembered the story behind it.

"What?" I asked when he started chuckling. When I looked at his face I saw that his optics were a bright blue again as they studied me.

"It's funny how different you humans are from one another but at the same time you're all so similar. Jazz is getting ready to shoot Antony because of all the ridiculous questions he keeps asking. You, on the other hand, are always asking me questions but yours are reasonable and I don't mind answering them. Actually, I enjoy it when you ask questions" I smiled and Quicksilver looked up at the sky again, his optics dimming. While my Guardian had quickly gotten over having Kobe almost destroy his interior, the normally calm and collected Autobot lieutenant was having a hard time keeping his cool with Antony ceaselessly bothering him. It nearly had gotten out of hand when my friend started asking if Autobots got horny and what would happen if they did. I quickly exited when that question came up, not wanting to know the answer or seeing Jazz finally loose it. Quicksilver seemed amazed that Antony was able to get Jazz to act like that. It was obvious the silver mech didn't know Antony for very long.

"Okay, since you're so okay with me asking questions, here's a good one" I said as I climbed up to sit cross-legged on Quicksilver's chest. I could feel the warmth of his spark beneath me and feel and hear its gentle hum.

"Are there any girl Autobots?" Quicksilver was silent for a moment before he spoke.

"There may still be some out there. Optimus had ordered them to stay back on Cybertron and we know that they escaped before our planet was destroyed but we don't know where they are now" His tone was indifferent and it was hard to tell if he didn't care or if he was trying to hold back his emotions.

"I'm sorry" I quickly whispered, fearing that I had gone too far. Quicksilver just shook his head.

"Don't be. It was a genuine question" I studied his face, thinking. He really didn't seem to mind when I asked about the female mechs so it made sense that I could go further with the topic.

"Where there any that you were…close with?" Quicksilver smiled and his optics brightened slightly.

"Why, you wanna know if you've got any competition?" he asked brashly. I blushed at the ridiculous thought of me being romantically jealous of his lover. We were close, but I wasn't about to bridge the inter-species gap. Quicksilver and I were friends and we were both perfectly happy with it staying that way. But that didn't stop him from making quips about romantic feelings since he knew it made me uncomfortable.

"No. I could care less. There wouldn't be any competition" I said, slightly defensive which made Quicksilver smile.

"Got that right. You're my number one girl" my Guardian said as he gently nudged me with his finger. I gave him a questioning, and slightly wary, look. "Back home I guess you could call me a…player…when it came to the femmes. You're actually the first female I've ever gotten close to friendship wise" I groaned and fell back against his chest. First Antony and now Quicksilver. Why did _I _always end up with the players? The silver mech shook beneath me as he laughed.

"Okay, since we're talking about romantic stuff, why don't we turn the tables?" I felt Quicksilver wrap his hand gently around me as he held me so he could sit up. He raised me up on one of his knees, set me on it, and then leaned back on his hands. "What's going on between you and Antony?" I immediately scowled.

"Nothing, we're just friends" Quicksilver looked slightly up as if imitating me when I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah right, if you saw my readings on you whenever you get close to him, you wouldn't be lying like that"

"We're friends, just like the two of us are"

"Slag it shawty, quit lying to yourself and me"

"_Trust me_ Quicksilver. There's nothing there anymo-" I shut my mouth before I finished the last word, realizing that I said too much. A smirk appeared on Quicksilver's face.

"You two were involved"

"Not anymore. Now we're just friends"

"Was the break up mutual?"

"That's none of your business"

"Was it mutual?"

"More or less"

"That isn't a very good answer"

"Too bad, cuz that's all you're getting" The blue optics carefully examined me as the smirk remained. Then Quicksilver slowly lowered himself so that he was lying down again while his knee remained propped up.

"I won't tell anyone about you and Antony. Even though it would mean that I'd win the bet" He said the last part smugly as he interlaced his fingers, putting them beneath his head.

"You're _betting_ on us?! With who?" I cried out.

"Ironhide and Ratchet don't think you and Antony were involved and Jazz agrees with me but he doesn't think that you two would get back together. He thinks that you split up cuz Antony can be so slagging annoying and you two were better off as friends. I personally think that you'll get back together. Optimus refuses to get in the whole mix, saying that it's none of our business to get involved in humans' relationships"

"You're a jerk" I said, trying to get down from Quicksilver's knee. He took his hand and brushed me back, preventing me from moving.

"Hey, be careful with insulting me. There's a lot of high-grade energon at risk here. Don't make me take back what I said about not telling anyone" I groaned and crossed my arms over my chest, incredibly unhappy with the whole situation, probably more than Quicksilver would ever be able to guess.

"So why'd you break up?"

"I don't want to talk about it" I whispered, my heart clenching at the thought. Quicksilver immediately sat up, showing that he had heard the pain in my voice. A fingertip brushed gently against my cheek.

"I'm sorry. There's more to it, isn't there?" Slowly I nodded my head, fighting back the much hated tears.

"A lot more" I was finally able to say. Quicksilver's finger moved from my cheek and moved to my hair, softly brushing it.

"Someday, will you tell me?" he asked. I could tell how painful it was for him to ask that rather than demand for me to be forthright.

"I'll try, Quicksilver, I'll really try"

* * *

"Faith! I've been looking all over for you!" Antony cried as he ran up to me after I put Taffy back into her stall. 

"What's wrong?" I asked. He was so worked up that I knew something was very wrong.

"I can't find Jazz and I need to go into town _now_" he followed me from the stable and I looked around to see that the red mech was no where to be found. Quicksilver walked over to us, worried about what had Antony so worked up.

"Where could Jazz be?" The thought that Barricade had attacked him had my heart racing. I looked up to Quicksilver, knowing he would be able to find his lieutenant through their communications network.

"He says he's out for a drive on the back roads and that whatever Antony wants, it's a no" My friend threw his hands up in frustration but then he calmed down when Quicksilver caught his eye. My Guardian took a hesitant step back.

"Quicksilver, can I take you into town? My package finally arrived and I need to get it ASAP" The silver mech shook his head and actually took a step so that he stood behind me.

"No way. I looked up those police reports on what you did to that car. You demolished the thing"

"Oh come on, it wouldn't be like I would be driving"

"I'm not chancing it. The answer's the same as Jazz's. No"

"Take your motorcycle to get it" Antony looked at me as if I just told him to walk into the middle of a KKK meeting.

"My package is a _basketball hoop_. I don't think that'd really work with a motorcycle" I rolled my eyes and pulled myself away from him. Antony always got so pissy when it came to his beloved game of basketball. "Wait!" he called out. Despite what my brain said, I stopped and turned around.

"Could you go get it for me? Its not like Quicksilver would say no to you" I rolled my eyes and kept walking away. That was when things got weird. Antony ran up from behind me, fell to his knees, and clung to me. I staggered forward, trying not to loose my balance now that my legs were held captive. Quicksilver laughed and bent down, pulling Antony away from me. Once I was free, I looked up at my Guardian.

"He's not going to give anybody any peace until he gets that package" Quicksilver let out one of his recorded sighs and then transformed. He opened his driver's door from me.

"You owe us" the Benz said as we pulled away. Antony could care less. He'd just be happy that he'd be getting his basketball hoop.

As Quicksilver and I sped towards town, I explained to him about basketball and how Antony had been the MVP on nearly every single team he'd ever play on. Basketball and football was pretty much the boy's life and there was no doubt that he'd make it onto the team at whatever college he chose to go to. We made it to the post office in record time and I picked up the bulky package without much of a problem. Quicksilver literally groaned when he saw me carrying it out, causing an elderly woman passing by to eye him warily. When no one was paying attention he lowered his top so that the large package would be able to fit inside.

"Should have brought Ironhide, not me" he grumbled.

"Just be glad that this is only the backboard and the rim, not the post and the base too" That made Quicksilver be quiet. I wrestled with the flat cumbersome box so that it was in Quicksilver's passenger seat and not uncomfortable for him. Finally I was able to close the door when I heard someone call my name. I turned around to see a woman a couple of years my senior and a little blonde girl walking towards me.

"Faith? Faith Abraham?" I had never met this person before and I felt myself tense up.

"Yeah, that's me" I told them, trying to be polite while looking for an escape. The moment that the woman heard me announce that I was actually Faith, she beamed with pride.

"I can't believe it's really you. My little sister and I were at the National Horsemanship Competition in May. The one that you and your horses swept in. I've never seen anything like it. Ever since we saw you ride, my little sister has been taking horseback riding lessons religiously so maybe one day she'll be able to compete in the National Horsemanship Competition just like you" The woman went on, making my whole face blush. I knelt down in front of the little girl as her sister kept on talking about which one of my horses was her favorite. My heart leapt when I saw that the little blonde was holding a horse stuffed animal. I held my hand out to her and asked her name.

"Becky" she said, her sweet blue eyes down cast.

"Which horse is your favorite?"

"Waterdancer" She peered at me through blonde eyelashes. I should've known since her stuffed horse was white like Danny "Are you going to show again?" I sadly shook my head, causing a frown to cover her sweet face. "Why?"

"I've done a lot of horse shows with my boys and I need to take a break" The older sister had stopped talking and watched the two of us with a happy expression.

"Well, I for one hope that you compete again with those stallions again. I mean, I heard about those rumors about what happened to you at the show-"

"Those," I interrupted, not caring if I was rude, "are just rumors" The woman's face seemed to drop a bit and I felt a bit guilty for being so cold. However she recovered her happy smile again, my rudeness not affecting her at all.

"I'm glad that they are just rumors. Say good-bye Becky, we've got plenty of errands to finish" The little girl waved farewell and they both went off to finish whatever business they had to take care of.

Quicksilver played music from my favorite radio station and didn't speak until we were alone on the country road leading back to the ranch.

"What was that about?" All I did for a reply was shrug my shoulders.

"The stallions are pretty big celebrities in the horse world. We were in a huge horse show last May and broke some records by sweeping"

"Sweeping? I don't see what's so big about taking a broom and cleaning"

"No, I'm not talking about sweeping as in cleaning. I rode each of the stallions in different styles. Terremoto was cross-country, Danny was hunters, Pago was dressage, and Spitfire was in jumpers. We came in first place in everything, earning the championship titles for each division. We swept"

"That's incredible. Why haven't you said anything about it before?" Again, I shrugged my shoulders as I pretended to drive.

"The day started off incredible but it didn't end that way"

"The rumors that woman was speaking about weren't just rumors, were they?" My hands tightened into a death grip on the steering wheel.

After that the issue was dropped.


	17. Chapter 17

It made sense that Kobe loved riding around in Quicksilver. After all, dogs were notorious for loving to stick their heads out the window and since Quicksilver was a coupe, the dog had the ultimate rolled down window. The day was warm, sunny, and beautiful after the previous day's rains. I had tied my hair up into a ponytail to keep it wiping around in my face as we drove into town. Quicksilver's face was priceless when I showed up in the barn, having gotten so bored the day before locked up because of the rain that I impulsively straightened my normally curly hair. It had taken a while to explain the concept of hair straightening to the silver mech but eventually he had gotten it. I let out a contented sigh as I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel in time to the music. For once, things had been reasonably calm so Quicksilver and I decided to go meet up with Antony and Jazz in town. There hadn't been any car jock sightings for a while but that may have been because of their little run in with Ironhide. According to the enormous black mech, they had been too high on drugs for anyone to believe that a talking truck had rammed into their cars after the said truck was cut off. I smiled when I imagined the scenario in my head. There were definitely benefits to befriending a group of warrior mechs. I was so engrossed with my thoughts that I didn't notice we had come into town until Quicksilver came to a screeching halt, throwing me against the seatbelt. Kobe had fallen down but thankfully not out of the car. Before I could ask what was going on, I heard shouts coming from a parking lot behind a line of stores. Without my having to ask, Quicksilver quietly pulled into the parking lot, unnoticed. From out of nowhere, a red Solstice slide into place beside the Benz. In the middle of the parking lot were supped up cars and a ring of jeering teenagers. I could barely make out the two fighters in the center but the boy being attacked seemed to still be in high school. When several guys forming the circle shifted, I saw a yellow and black Camaro revving its engine madly behind a teenaged girl who looked helplessly on at the fight, begging them to stop. No one seemed to notice that no one was inside the Camaro to be making it rev its engine.

Antony and I calmly exited the cars. My friend took of his white hat and tossed it onto Jazz's hood. Snapping my fingers, Kobe jumped out of Quicksilver and trotted to my side. I took a firm hold of his leather collar and stopped half way to the group. Antony kept sauntering over to the car jocks while making a show of stretching his arms to warm them up. Everyone paused when Antony was close enough and they parted, allowing me to see the two fighters clearly. One was a burly redhead who appeared to be on steroids while the other was an average boy with short brown hair. The poor brunette kid was bleeding from cuts all over his body and I could see that he was going to have some nasty bruises. No one was sure whose side Antony was going to join and the brunette moaned, thinking that another jock had come to join the fun. The poor kid raised his eyes to the heavens, berating God for abandoning him However his face dropped when Antony threw back his arm and slugged the red-head so hard that the guy hit the ground face first. Absolute chaos ensued. Three more guys went after Antony but my friend quickly brought them down. The circle had somewhat formed again and it kept spitting out fighters to oppose Antony but all anybody was able to do was throw some good punches before they hit the ground or went running. Kobe began straining against my hold on his collar and I could feel a growl echoing in his lean body. I braced myself to hold the dog back because I only wanted to send him in as a last resort. That last resort came when a guy started going after the teenaged girl standing next to the Camaro. I ran wide around the group with Kobe and then came to a halt.

"_Bedrohen!_" I cried. The most vicious snarl imaginable erupted from my dog and the guy who was going after the girl froze immediately in his tracks. He stared wide-eyed at me as Kobe rose to his hind legs with me holding him back by his collar; the dog's sharp teeth snapped as he barked and snarled with his ears pinned back. There had been a reason that I had bought a Doberman and this guy was realizing it. As soon as the guy backed off, raising his hands in surrender, I murmured "_Leicht_", the command for Kobe to stop. With an unhappy whine, the large dog returned to his puppyish personality.

That was when things got worse. Some kid came running up, screaming that a whole group of cops were on their way. The car jocks scattered, jumping into their cars and leaving behind anyone who was still laid out flat by Antony. I ran over and grabbed the boy Antony had defended and hauled him to his feet.

"Lie down in the back, don't let the cops see you since you're bleeding. Have the girl drive. Follow Jazz and Quicksilver back to the ranch. And whatever you do, _don't come back for us_" I ordered as I practically flung the boy into the back of the Camaro who had opened its rear door. Antony overheard what I said and went running over to the other two Autobots, stepping on and kicking any of the downed car jocks who he happened to pass. I could hear him arguing with the two cars about leaving us but I ignored it. Kobe whined, unsure of what was going on.

"Can he go with you?" I asked, more to the car than anyone else as I pointed at my dog. The passenger door swung open in response and I pushed Kobe in. With everyone taken care of, I ran over to Antony. Quicksilver's engine revved angrily as his hologram flickered into place behind his wheel. The blue eyes stared me down but I didn't have time to explain why we had to split up. All I could say was "Don't draw attention". I grabbed Antony by his wrist and we both went running out of the parking lot just as we could hear the sounds of approaching sirens. The only thought in my mind as we ran down the thin, deserted street was the amazement of how Antony and I always ended up being chased.

Our luck kept disintegrating when we nearly ran right into a non-Cybertronian cop car who was turning around a corner. He honked his horn at us, yelling something, but we were off running, too fast to hear what he said. I began pumping my legs even faster when I heard the sirens beginning to wail behind us. Antony and I took a sharp turn down an alley. Of course it was a dead end. A large abandoned brick building was at the end with locks on the door and thick glass windows. As we ran towards it, Antony took of his shirt and wrapped it around his right fist and as we skidded to a halt, narrowly missing running into the bricks, he slammed his covered fist into the window. All of the glass shattered and Antony pushed me through before I could protest. I took a hard fall to the ground, barely able to move out of the way before Antony came tumbling in after me. We picked ourselves up and started running through the old warehouse. The sound of the cop car coming to a screeching halt outside was quickly followed by something pounding against the locked door. Before the cop got inside, we darted behind several large containers that were as big as Optimus was when he was in vehicle mode. I tried calming myself to quiet down my deep breaths. Antony barely seemed winded but then again, he was still in top condition from athletic training. Weighted silence filled the warehouse when the locked door broke down with a loud crash.

"Don't even bother running!" an older voice called out, echoing through the massive building. "There's only one exit and this building will be surrounded in minutes" The voice was now smug but the one beside me was smugger.

"Only one exit my ass" Antony muttered as he pointed to an opening in the crumbling wall that was blocked from the cop's view by the containers we were hiding behind. We quietly made our way over to the opening and slid out, the bricks and then the rough dirt on the other side scraping against our skin. We found ourselves in a large dirt lot that had random junk piled around. An enormous rusty container was to our left, blocking our view of the street on the other side. The only thing that separated us from freedom was a dilapidated chained link fence that was easily scalable. I started jogging over to the fence while Antony waited a moment to put his shirt back on. He was running after me when an engine roared to life but we were too far apart to do anything. I turned around so violently that I almost fell down. A yellow Lamborghini had placed itself between Antony and I. My friend kept on running towards me, jumped onto the hood of the car and ran across it. He left a few dusty shoeprints on the immaculate yellow paint. There was an angry cry and the engine roared so loudly that I had to cover my ears. Antony ran by me, grabbing my arm to follow him. Almost to the fence there was another roar and a blur of red. We were now in between the two Lamborghinis with the sounds of police sirens becoming louder as they came closer. Antony and I stood back to back, completely clueless as what to do next.

"Get in" an amused voice said from the red Lamborghini as its door swung open. I reflexively pushed harder against Antony's back. "You could always get in with my twin, the vain homicidal maniac, and of course there's always the option of leaving you for the cops" The red car laughed and revved his engine, beckoning us. It was just our luck that the insane Autobot twins Quicksilver had told me about would be the ones to save us but at least they were Autobots. Antony and I flew into the car, barely in our seats when the red twin floored it. He drove right through the chain-link fence with the yellow Lamborghini close behind, carefully avoiding being scratched by the metal fencing.

* * *

Antony and I literally fell out in our desperation to get out of Sideswipe the moment that he unlocked his doors. Like a child running to her father after she had just gotten off of her first scary rollercoaster, I made a dash for Quicksilver. Antony made a run for Optimus. Sunstreaker's weapons were trained on my friend and it took Ironhide punching him, hard, to make the pissed off yellow mech stand down. Sideswipe had cheerfully introduced us to himself and his twin while breaking every driving law known to mankind, and possibly the sound barrier, on our way to the ranch. I had a sudden appreciation for Quicksilver and his driving habits. When I was safely standing behind one of the large silver legs, my Guardian snatched me up in his hand and held me to his eye level. He didn't even have to speak for his demand for me to explain is known. 

"There's no way that we could have gotten by the cops while driving you. We'd be arrested the moment we were spotted"

"Why? You were defending Sam?" this new voice sounded younger compared to the other Autobots and it came from a yellow and black mech that must have been the Camaro. The two teenagers stood at his feet, one of the boy's eyes starting to swell shut.

"We defended him, but physically and threateningly. The police would have easily have used that to their advantage and make us spend a night in jail… and have Kobe put down" Optimus made weary sound and shook his head at my explanation.

"Sometimes I question your authorities. I'm still confused by why you had to run" Popi stepped forward, anger etched on his face.

"It is well known by now that Faith and Antony are staying on my ranch. The police and I have had a long standing feud every since I discovered how corrupt this town's department really is. They've tried, and failed, to get back at me many times so they would have taken advantage of these two being involved with the fight" Quicksilver still had me standing in the palm of his hand and he still eyed me. He now understood but he obviously didn't like my decision to run off and force the mechs home. "We stick together next time" he mumbled with one of his recorded sighs as he set me down.

Antony had come out from behind Optimus but stayed far from Sunstreaker. My friend jumped when the once-Camaro mech walked up to him and lowered himself so that they were on the same eye level.

"I want to thank you, both of you," he said with a quick glance over to me, "for saving Sam and Mikaela when I couldn't" With that that, the newcomer straightened up and the girl, Mikaela, walked forward holding Antony's hat which he had left in the parking lot. She offered it to him and then went back to Sam. By the way they stood so close together, I could tell that they were involved. It also gave it away when Sam narrowed his hazel eyes, as much as he could at least with one swollen shut, and seemed to be glaring at Antony's large, well-defined arm muscles.

**_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed!!! I can't express how happy I am that people are enjoying reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Anywho...here's two quick notes. The word 'bedrohen' is German for 'threaten' and 'leicht' is German for 'relaxe'. I forget if thats the exact transaltion but I'm pretty sure it is. My second quick note is that explaining Antony's name. I've had his character stored away for years in the back of my head and have used him in other stories. He's named after Julius Ceasar's most loyal supporter, Marcus Antony._**


	18. Chapter 18

_His sparkling dark eyes met and held mine, a silent communication passing between us. My family and friends surround me, congratulating me but the only one I see is him. Spitfire was the one who broke the trance. The stallion gently butted me with his head, wanting the attention he knew he deserved. After all, he just won us first place. With a laugh, I threw my arms around the stallion's thick neck, holding him as tightly as I could. Since Spitfire and I had won this class, we took Jumpers Champions. Which meant that my stallions and I had completely swept. With Danny I had taken the Hunters Champion, with Pago the Dressage, and with Terremoto the Cross-Country. It was something that no one had ever achieved during the whole fifty plus years that the National Horsemanship Competition was held._

_Gradually, everyone left and drifted off to their cars to head back to my house where my parents were setting up a celebration party. I was glad for the peace and quiet as I settled the stallions in their stalls. Every once in a while, someone would pass by and give their congratulations but other than that I was alone. I didn't mind it at all, especially since I knew that my boyfriend would be coming. That's what he was telling me without words earlier. 'I'm proud. I'll see you later…when it's just the two of us'. I smiled to myself at the thought of being in his arms and his lips pressed against mine. His congratulations were far better than any party could ever be._

_"Everyone seems so surprised with how well you did. I wasn't of course. I've always known how special you are" I jumped at the sound of the voice. It wasn't the one I was expecting and was the last one I ever wanted to hear. It belonged to the older man who had caught Spitfire the day before the competition week began. His name was Mr. Freedmont and he had been following me, trying to get close. My father had already talked to the show manager when he realized that Mr. Freedmont was paying me far too much attention. Dad made it clear that the man was to go nowhere near me and was working on getting a restraining order. Obviously that hadn't worked as Mr. Freedmont approached me, his hands shoved casually in his suit pant's pockets. A fancy digital camera hung around his neck. I had a feeling that if someone were to look at the digital camera's memory stick, they'd see that I had unknowingly been the focus of the photographer._

_"Please, leave now" I said, my voice timid. Mr. Freedmont raised a graying eyebrow._

_"Now, now. It's just an old friend wishing his favorite girl his congratulations. You've put yourself and those fine stallions of yours into history. Why wouldn't I swing by to see you?" I slowly began backing up away from him and closer to my horses. The last time that Mr. Freedmont had gotten too close, Terremoto had tried to kick and bite him. And Terremoto was the calm passive one, so I knew that something was undeniably wrong with this man._

_"You're not welcome here. Go…now. Or else I'll call security" I fought to add conviction to my voice but Mr. Freedmont saw right through it._

_"That's one reason that I love money so much," he said as he rubbed his thumb across the ends of his four other fingers, "it has so much power…so much persuasion" He had paid off the security guards and those were the only ones who would have been able to save me. I made a dash for the latch on Spitfire's stall door but I froze the moment that I felt the knife blade against my throat. The rawest fear I had ever experienced filled me. Mr. Freedmont was going to rape and kill me and there was nothing I could do._

_"Hush now," the old man said as he stroked my braided hair. "I know you want this as much as I do" His free hand ripped open my shirt, skimming over my quaking skin. All I wanted to do was scream, run, punch, kick, bite, anything but all I could do was remain frozen._

_Mr. Freedmont backed me away from the stalls were the stallions were going crazy. While I wasn't biting and kicking, they were. I had never seen them so angry. For the first time Mr. Freedmont was showing his nerves. He cast a furtive glance over at the noisy stallions as they kicked their rock-hard hooves against the wooden walls of their stalls. Surely, they would draw some kind of attention._

_"Best be getting this over quickly. Besides, we'll be wanting our privacy" He said as his hand grazed over my most private area._

_"You're not going anywhere" My heart leapt at the sound of the voice. The voice I had been waiting for. The one person who I loved more than life itself was standing in the barn aisle, his dark eyes seething with rage. Our eyes met._

_"Get away from her" my boyfriend growled. Mr. Freedmont's grip tightened and the knife started biting into my flesh._

_"Mind your own business, boy" the older man snarled._

_"She is my business old man" was the reply, snarled back._

_There was no way to know how I ended up on the ground while the two men began fighting. All I knew was that the boy who I loved was screaming out in pain as the knife sliced into him. For the first time I found my voice. I screamed out as loudly as I could._

_"Stop it! Stop hurting him!" I screamed._

_"What does this n----r matter to you?!" Mr. Freedmont demanded just before a fist slammed into his jaw._

_"I love him!" At once the fighting stopped. The old man slowly looked over at me. His sneering gaze made my heart stop._

_"How could you love something like this?" he hissed as he motioned to the teenaged boy who was pulling himself to his feet, readying himself for another go. "I thought you were better than that Faith" The low response was the only warning as to what happened next. Mr. Freedmont lunged toward me, brandishing his long hunting knife. I screamed at the sound of the knife tearing through flesh but it wasn't my flesh it had torn. My boyfriend had somehow managed to shield me with his body from the knife. His arms were wrapped around me, his body pressed against mine. His lips brushed against my forehead. It was his good-bye. With the last remaining strength in his body, my boyfriend turned around and grabbed Mr. Freedmont's knife wielding hand. He tore the weapon from the old man's grasp and then plunged it through the navy blue pinstriped suit. The old man cried out in pain before he ran off to tend to his hopefully fatal wound._

* * *

Nobody questioned me when I finally came out of the house. They knew by the way I acted not to bother me. That or they had heard my screams while I went through the nightmarish memory the night before. I went through the paces of my day while trying not to lose myself to the nightmare. It didn't help that I got out of talking to both humans and Autobots. Quicksilver watched me with a worried eye but he seemed to know me well enough not to push it. _I must appear even more pathetic than I thought_ I said mentally to myself. The horses and Kobe were good company for me and I knew they could sense my distress. Spitfire was even good for me which was incredibly rare. Towards the end of the day I realized that I needed to stop acting so anti-social because distancing myself from everyone would just make things so much more worse than they already were.

It didn't take me long to find everyone. Jazz, Quicksilver, and the twins were watching Antony setting up his basketball hoop. Popi, Optimus, Ironhide, and Ratchet were in the front, Popi in his favorite chair on the porch as they talked. Bee and his two charges were off exploring the ranch. I skirted around the old folks group and went behind the house. I watched silently with Kobe sitting by my side at the latest antics. Antony nearly fell from the ladder several times with Sideswipe jarringly poking at the ladder. My friend was yelling at him, threatening to take him out for a drive. This just caused the mechs to laugh. It was at this point that Quicksilver acknowledged my presence. He smoothly extracted himself from between Jazz and Sunstreaker and came over to sit beside me. I was thankful that my guardian didn't speak; we were quiet as we watched the ladder finally fall from beneath Antony, leaving the teenager dangling from the basketball hoop's rim. I let myself roll my eyes at the string of inaudible profanities that he was spitting out. Finally he let himself fall from the hoop, landing gracefully.

"And you thought I'd fall on my ass" he taunted Sideswipe as picked up the basketball he had close at hand.

"I was hoping" the red twin replied with a smile. Antony flipped him off and then turned to Jazz.

"I have question" This statement caused all of the mechs to groan."I told you, no more questions" Jazz grumpily replied as he shifted on his feet.

"Aw, come on. I was gonna make it interesting" Antony glared at me when I snorted. I don't think anyone would be able to handle it if Antony made his questions even more interesting then they already were. "You make up a move and I'll try to do it. Kinda like a game of Horse but for mechs. But each time I make a shot, you answer one of my questions. Each time I miss, which I won't so don't get your hopes up, then I'm sure you'll think of something for me to do" Jazz, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe exchanged wicked grins.

"Agreed" the mechs said in unison.

By some miracle, Antony kept up his promise on not missing any shots. He was scoring them despite the seemingly impossible moves that the mechs were telling him to pull off. Of course Antony started off with ridiculous questions that nearly made Quicksilver shoot him with his arm-turned-gun. Then came a somewhat reasonable one.

"Do you guys have a religion?" Antony was bending over with his hands on his knees, panting slightly.

"Not really" Jazz said. "We have our beliefs about Primus who I guess is like your God. Then there's the Matrix which will be kinda hard to explain"

"Is it like Heaven?" Jazz made a buzzer noise from his radio.

"Sorry, that's two questions"

"Hey," Antony said as he pointed a finger at his Guardian. "After what you put me through and, by the way, I may have sprained my ankle with that damned twist ya'll added at the last second, I deserve two questions" Jazz made a face since he knew that the last demand they made of Antony was especially trying. None of them had actually expected him to get the double-twisting-hand-switching dunk with a backward flip to get down from hanging off of the rim.

"None of us would know since none of us are dead" Sunstreaker muttered.

"Well, except Jazz. He was dead for a little while" Quicksilver replied calmly. The yellow mech was still for a moment and then the memory suddenly dawned on him.

"Bro, you were dead?" Antony whirled around to face Jazz who just shrugged his shoulders as if it were no big deal.

"Yeah. It seemed longer when I was there but now that I think about it, it wasn't for very long. Just a few Earth months" Antony was laughing, almost maniacally. Everyone was staring at him like he was insane which was very likely. I could feel my whole body tense up. Kobe gave a soft whine as he licked my hand. Quicksilver cast me a sidelong glance before returning to trying to figure out what was wrong with Antony.

"Bro, no wonder you're my Guardian! We're more alike than I thought"

"Antony" My voice was low and full of warning but I think Quicksilver was the only one who heard me. The boy never listened to me. I took a step forward to stop him but I was too late.

"I was dead too," Antony said as he looked over his shoulder. "They said I was dead for about five minutes before they revived me. But I was dead"

"How'd you die?" Jazz asked, obvious concern in his voice as he stepped forward.

"_Antony_" I said a bit louder but he still didn't seem to hear me. "Please," I whispered, this time to myself. He pulled his shirt over his head and turned his back to Jazz. My arms instinctively wrapped around my waist and I froze. The mechs were staring at the large tattoo that covered nearly all of Antony's back.

"I don't know if you can see it because I had the tattoo put over it but I've got a nasty scar from…" It was then that Antony seemed to remember why he had the tattoo put over the scar. To hide it. He looked over at me, his dark eyes wide with apologies. Our eyes met but didn't hold because I was running away as fast as I could. I could feel everyone's eyes on my back as I ran but I didn't care. Ratchet's voice trailed off when I passed by the porch with Kobe close behind. I whistled loudly, a whistle I hadn't used in a long time. Within minutes Taffy had let herself out of the stall and was galloping up to me. I easily swung up onto her back and we galloped off toward the pastures.

* * *

We didn't return until well after night had set in. I had cried so hard while out wandering the ranch with Taffy and Kobe that I didn't think I had any water left in me. When I rode Taffy up to the ranch house, Popi and Antony were out waiting on the porch with Optimus, Quicksilver, and Jazz standing close by. The other Autobots and teens were no where in sight. I slid from Taffy's back and walked up the porch steps, my feet thudding against the wood. I refused to look up or to take my arms from around my waist.

"I'm sorry Popi, I shouldn't have run off like that" I mumbled. I felt Popi's rough hands beneath my chin, lifting it up so I was forced to look him in the eye.

"They need to know Faith. You need to tell them" he said quietly but with a tone that I knew I couldn't go against. If I had any tears left in me, I would have started crying again. There was movement next to Popi as Antony stood up and walked over to me. He acted as if he wanted to hug me and then thought better of it. So instead he put a hand on my arm and gave it a soft squeeze. Then he pulled my arms so that I was no longer holding myself.

"I'm sorry Faith. I wasn't thinking. You of all people know what happens when I get riled up" There was a hint of a sad smile in his voice, trying to rectify what had happened earlier.

Taking a deep breath I turned around to face the Autobots. They were kneeling down, and if I wasn't so exhausted I would have jumped at how close they suddenly were. I sat down on the porch steps, my hands wringing around each other nervously. Antony sat close to me, his side slightly pressing against mine. Out of sight, his hand was running up and down my back. I told the Autobots everything even though Optimus already knew it all. I began all the way from a month before the show, before Mr. Freedmont ever made his appearance. I explained how important the show was and how hard I and the stallions worked to get there. How incredibly extraordinary it was that we had been so successful. How Mr. Freedmont began stalking and harassing me on the showgrounds. How no matter what we did to keep the old man away from me and my horses, his money would still weasel him in. When it came time to explain the actual attack, Antony had to take over. He tried to make it as painless as possible but I could still feel myself go into shock, the result of what my therapist diagonosed as a mixture of 'survivor's guilt' and Post- Tramatic Stress Disorder.

"It didn't get way out of hand until the old man found out that Faith and I were dating. He snapped. He was one of those old guys who couldn't get away from the past and interracial dating was, to him, a one-way ticket to Hell. He tried to stab Faith but I got in between. Took it in the back and it turned out it nicked my heart" His arm wrapped around me when I tensed up. "Someone heard the…scuffle…and then saw the old man running out bleeding. There was an ambulance on call for the show and I was lucky that they were still there. The paramedics were able to…" Antony looked over at me as he carefully chose his words. "…get me back…before any permanent damage. Had a full recovery and then got the tattoo to hide the scar"

"What happened to this Freedmont?" Quicksilver said in a low, almost feral growl. I snatched up my head to look at me and felt my eyes grow wide. I had never seen him so angry before. If it wasn't for Optimus' hand on his shoulder I was sure that Quicksilver would have gone out at that very moment to find and take out Mr. Freedmont.

"He was caught, put on trial, and found guilty. Of course his money bought him a lighter sentence" Antony's reply was just as menacing as Quicksilver's question. "He'll be getting out soon, though, for _good behavior_"

"Which is why you are here with Faith. To make sure he doesn't come back to hurt her" Jazz commented coolly. Both Antony and I nodded our heads.

"But if I had it my way, he wouldn't be here" I said, barely recognizing the cold voice as my own voice.

"Why would you say that?" Optimus asked gently when it became obvious I wasn't about to explain without some prodding.

"It's my fault that he was hurt, _killed_, in the first place. That's why I was so mad when he first showed up"

"It's not your fault" chorused around me, making me cringe. I had heard that phrase so many times and it was one reason that I had left home. To escape the phrase that was more like a lie to me.

"Freedmont was the one with the weapon and Antony was the one who made the decision to put himself between you and the knife"

"Yeah Faith, Quicksilver's right. You may be freakishly good at convincing people to do shit, but you know that shit doesn't work on me" If I wasn't so distraught, I would have rolled my eyes. Even when Antony and I were involved he was as stubborn as hell. If he wanted to do something, he'd do it. He'd proven that plenty of times.

"That does explain several things" Jazz commented, more to himself than anyone else. "And it means that you and I were right about them being together"

"The bet is off" Optimus sternly ordered.

"Too bad, I wanted to see Quicksilver get plastered with the high-grade energon that the twins have" Jazz said with a laugh, trying to lighten up the mood. "But I do have a feeling that that'll be happening anyway" Quicksilver leaned over and shoved Jazz. I smile faintly flickered on my lips.

* * *

I was laying on Quicksilver's hood, staring off into the valley several miles from the ranch house. There was a crescent moon and the stars were clearly shining except when a few fluffy dark clouds floated by in front of them. I pulled the blanket I had brought with me tighter around my body to fight off the chilly night air. Afraid that I was going to have the nightmare again, I didn't want to go to sleep. All it took was a glance in Quicksilver's direction for him to figure it out. After a quick word with Popi, Quicksilver and I drove out to the spot that overlooked the valley. Neither of us spoke as I laid on his hood, watching the night sky and listening to his soft hum. It was similar to listening to Antony's heart beat but at the same time it was comfortingly different.

"Can I ask a question?" Quicksilver softly asked. His voice caused his body to slightly vibrate.

"Sure" I answered hesitantly. I knew what subject the question was going to be about.

"Did you and Antony break up because of what Freedmont did?" I didn't want to answer. I really, _really_, didn't want to answer. But I knew that my Guardian had answered hundreds of my questions while rarely asking any of his own.

"Yes. I couldn't look at him and think about how he had died because of me. I mean, he had literally _died_ and I came out with not even a scratch. I wasn't harmed and I was the one who the attack was intended for. Antony wasn't apart of it"

"You _were_ harmed Faith. Everyone can see that and I know you realize it too" Quicksilver's voice was stern. He was right but guilt had a funny way of changing perspective. We were quiet for a little while again until Quicksilver spoke up.

"What I don't understand is that you can't be in a relationship with him but you're perfectly fine being friends"

"It's hard to explain"

"Antony said you'd say that" I should have figured Quicksilver and Antony would have talked about it already. Jazz was probably there too during the conversation. "He says that you've convinced yourself that he'd be safer if you two weren't back together" I didn't know what to say. It was true but I had convinced myself that it was a rational decision, which in all honesty, deep down, I knew wasn't.

"He misses being with you…and I know you miss being with him" The words were soft and gentle. A few months ago I would never have been able to imagine that they could come from a car. Or from anyone for that matter.

"I know," I whispered back.

"Did you know that Bee fixed Sam and Mikaela up? He says that Sam wouldn't have had a chance with Mikaela if it wasn't for him" I couldn't help but to smile.

"What, are you saying that you have another amazing ability that I didn't know about? Not only can you transform into a car but you can also hook teenagers up despite the odds?"

"You'd be amazed by what I can do. And you know that I'm the best…at everything" I could hear the cocky smile in his voice.

"You know, one of these days that ego of yours is going to catch up to you" I said as I patted the hood. The whole car shook with laughter and I could feel the engine revving happily beneath me.

"I'm too fast for it to catch up with me"


	19. Chapter 19

**_Author's Note: Once again, I want to thank everyone for their reviews. Its so flippin hard trying to keep up with this story and go to a college prep school. The first week of school and already there's a bajillion pages to read. Anway, I 'm trying really hard to keep up with this story. I can feel myself kinda dwindling on it even though I love this story to death. If, okay I should prolly say 'when', I finish it, it'll be the first story that I've ever finished. So sorry if its not as good as it started off as but I'm really tryin here. I'm just glad I have such awesome reviewers. In all honesty, if it wasn't for you guys, I prolly would have stopped updating many chapters ago. So I'm gonna stop my babbling (I'm really tired and these kids at my apartment's pool just won't stop screaming even though its 10:00 at night) and I hope you enjoy the update. Oh, and when I was writing about the energy drinks, I was thinking of Monster. Seriously, I've seen the containers smoke when first opened. Its tripy. And obviously I don't own Monster._**

Sunstreaker glared at the Camaro as it rolled into the ranch. Sam had the biggest smile plastered on his face and I'm sure he would have been bouncing in his seat if it wasn't for the seat belt. Of course I did notice Bee bouncing a bit on his suspension too. As long as I was able to avoid Sunstreaker, I would have no regrets about telling Sam about the auto detailers in town. I felt for the teenaged boy as he watched Bee get friendly with the dirty ground during the mech's last wrestling match. When Sam was out of the car and Bee transformed to show off his ultra-washing, Sam started making a run for me. I glared at him, hoping that no one saw. Immediately he caught on and nonchalantly came over, whistling with his hands in his pocket. I rolled my eyes, wondering if he could be any more obvious.

"How'd it go?" I asked as we watched the Autobots from beside the barn.

"Great but I had to stick with Bee pretty much the whole time. Once he calmed down he started playing "Car Wash" on his stereo. Freaked the washers out"

"How'd you explain that?" I questioned with a laugh. Sam shrugged his shoulders and said that he told the washers that his friend had given him that song as a joke and it probably got jammed in the stereo.

"It's amazing at how good of a liar you become with these guys around" I laughed again but then it trailed off when I saw Sunstreaker turn around and study Sam and I. We both tried to look indifferent. Before I told Sam about the auto detailers, I made it perfectly clear that Sunstreaker could not find out about it. The vain Autobot would be torturing me ceaselessly to take him there and there was no way my patience, or budget, would be able to handle it. Quicksilver's answer to the Sunstreaker problem was to not tell Sam about the auto detailers in the first place. The silver mech still didn't like the idea of sharing.

When Sunstreaker started stalking over to us, I wiped out my cell phone and sent out an SOS to Quicksilver. I noticed the moment that my Guardian got it because he stiffened and spun around. He grabbed Bee and tore him from the attention of the other Autobots. Both of them intercepted Sunstreaker as Sam and I ran into the house. Antony was inside lounging on the couch, idly twirling a football. His eyes were glued to the television screen depicting a rerun of a popular sitcom. I sat beside him while Sam fell down into the old recliner, watching Mikaela who was making sandwiches in the kitchen. I propped my feet up onto the edge of the coffee table, leaning against Antony's thick arm. When he wasn't being annoying, I remembered so well how much I really did enjoy his company even if we weren't speaking. Mikaela came walking over, the plate she held full of sandwiches. Once the plate was safely on the coffee table, Sam leaned forward and grabbed Mikaela around her waist. He playfully pulled her into his lap as she pretended to protest. I smiled over them while I leaned forward and grabbed two sandwiches. The two of them really were a cute couple. A twang of jealousy ran through me.

"I wonder how long Sunstreaker will hold onto this" Sam said around a mouthful of sandwich. At his words I looked out the windows but there were no sign of the mechs.

"I have a thought" Antony said and it was then that I realized he had shifted closer to me. "Why not make a bet with Sunstreaker? We were thinking of going to the lake today, so just race him there. If he wins then you'll take him to the auto detailers and if you win, then he can't bug you anymore" I looked at him skeptically.

"The Autobots wouldn't be able get there in their vehicle mode. And besides, Quicksilver is fast but I don't think as fast as Sunstreaker"

"Not with Quicksilver. Race on one of the stallions" I shifted so that I could clearly see Antony's face. He wasn't joking. I didn't have to look over at Sam and Mikaela to know that they were staring at us with disbelief. Antony continued as he twirled his football. "If you were to race Sunstreaker head on, there's no way you'd win. But you seem to be forgetting that you're a champion cross-country rider"

"I'm not following" Antony stopped twirling the ball and pointed one end at me.

"Take different routes. Sunstreaker would go by road and you'd go through the country side. You know I'm good with math. I'd make sure that it was a fair match. He'd have the advantage of speed but he'd have to go a longer distance. You'd have a shorter distance but there'd be jumps and horses are much slower compared to the Autobots" What Antony was saying was starting to make sense.

"It wouldn't hurt," Mikaela interjected, "to show them what the fleshies can do"

* * *

The Autobots were surprised to say the least when I challenged Sunstreaker to the race. Sideswipe was all for the idea while his yellow twin wasn't sure if we would cheat. Antony brought out his calculations to show that if Sunstreaker and I left at the same time and stuck to the routes that Antony drew out, it'd be a fair race. The mechs gingerly passed the paper around, narrowing their optics to read the small writing but none of them could find any fault with Antony's math. My friend was practically glowing. He knew that everyone thought of him as a stupid jock and he always enjoyed surprising people with how smart he really was. Sunstreaker was at first skeptical but then seemed to warm up to the idea when I told him what would happen if he won. 

"But how do we know if you stick to the course? For all I know you'd take a short cut. After all, you'd have to cheat to beat me"

"I'll go with her," Jazz volunteered. "And you're not exactly so honest yourself so someone will have to go with you" Sunstreaker scowled while Sideswipe perked up and announced that he was the only one who could keep up with his twin. When Quicksilver scoffed at the idea, Sideswipe looked insulted.

"Hey, I'd like to see Streaker taken down by the fleshy and her four-legged furball just as much as the rest of you" I bit the corner of my lip in contemplation. The red twin seemed thrilled by the idea that his brother could lose the race so he wouldn't allow Sunstreaker to cheat. So with everything decided I ran off to the barn with Kobe nipping at my heels. While I was getting Spitfire ready, the rest prepared for the visit to the lake. The night before, Antony and Sam had gone into town and bought drinks and food in bulk, all of which they loaded into the back of a very disgruntled Ironhide. Antony came walked in the barn just as I was about to get up in the saddle.

Spitfire felt as if he was about to explode when I rode him out of the stable. He strained against my hold on the reins, literally chomping at the bit. White foam was fluttering from his lips. I pushed myself deep into the saddle as I tried to keep the red stallion under control. Quicksilver eyed me warily and fell into step with us as we made our way over to the starting line.

"Are you sure this is safe? Maybe you shouldn't do this…" I rolled my eyes and fought with Spitfire as he tried to jump forward.

"This is what I do"

"But still-"

"Quicksilver," I said shortly, interrupting him. "What would you say if I got nervous about you going off into battle? You'd tell me not to worry because being a soldier is what you do" The silver mech scowled and gave up in his attempts to make me back down. However I knew he was going to start afresh when Spitfire suddenly gathered himself and leaped up into the air, lashing out with his rear legs. I grimaced and hauled back on the reins, getting the stallion back under control. Spitfire snorted in defiance but went back to walking. His neck was arched and head tucked so far in that his nose was nearly touching his muscled chest. When we walked by Ironhide who was in his alternate mode, the stallion was so focused on what he knew was coming that he didn't even bother trying to kick at the GMC. The rest of the Autobots, excluding Ratchet and Bee who were already at the lake, were waiting by the starting line. Sunstreaker snorted at the sight of the eager stallion.

"Ready Jazz?" The red lieutenant acted as if he was stretching and with a cocky grin said, "You betta believe it shawty" With his vote of confidence, I looked over at Sunstreaker who was idling around.

"What about you?" Gonna transform or what?" Spitfire snorted and slammed his hoof into the ground with impatience. Sunstreaker smirked.

"I figured you'd need all the help you can get so I'll give you a three minute head start" My eyes widened and eyebrows raised up, not believing the yellow mech's attitude. It would be a lie for me to say that I wasn't insulted with how he thought he'd be the better person and give the inferior human a head start. I'd just have to show this jerk what cockiness will lead to.

"If that's what you want," I said with a shrug, Spitfire's leather reins pressing into my hands despite the gloves I wore. I allowed Spitfire to go up to the imaginary line between two old metal barrels. Drawn out snorts came rumbling from Spitfire's massive body. He continued chomping at the bit as he started dancing in place. Jazz readied himself beside us. We both knew that it wouldn't be a problem at all for Jazz to keep up with Spitfire but at least he had the decency not to flaunt it.

"Ready…" Optimus began, "set…_go_"

Spitfire's haunches dropped a bit and then catapulted us forward. I barely kept myself from being flipped right out of the saddle. The golden surroundings became a blur as we raced through the countryside with Jazz as a red haze beside us. I focused on staying on the memorized route, waiting for the first jump. The moment that we rounded a hill and saw the rusted, debilitated tractor, Spitfire put on a burst of speed. I leaned forward and at the perfect moment, cued him to jump. I felt him lift us up and I laid myself against his neck and shoved my hands forward to slacken the reins, just as my trainer had taught me. Spitfire tucked his legs up beneath him and then unfolded when we started back toward the ground. We continued the cross country race dodging trees, jumping logs and fences, leaping down hillsides, and soaring over the creek that spread almost twenty feet. Through the distances between the jumps, I'd let Spitfire loose; he ran as fast as he could, so fast I wasn't sure if his hooves ever touched the ground. Right before the jump, I'd slow him down so that he wouldn't rush it to make sure we'd safely clear whatever the obstacle was. Everything evaporated from my mind. Thoughts of Mr. Freedmont, my past life, Barricade, and Frenzy, they all disappeared. All that existed in my world was the powerful stallion I was riding and the course in front of us. There was no kind of speed like Quicksilver's or the other Autobots but Spitfire's speed was of a different kind. He allowed me to leave all of my troubles far behind.

The moment that Spitfire's hooves touched the lake's sandy beach, there was loud cheering. Ratchet and Bee were there with Mikaela and Kobe, all of them overjoyed at seeing Spitfire and I thundering toward them with Jazz close behind. Jazz called out to me, telling me that Sunstreaker was far behind but I refused to rein Spitfire in until we had crossed the finish line drawn in the sand. The stallion was breathing hard and a shiny sweat covered his body, his veins popping out of his hard muscles. I was just as sweaty and exhausted as my stallion. Horseback riders didn't just merely sit on the horse; they rode and supported the more than thousand pounds horse every step of the way. I was eventually able to get Spitfire down to a walk but we were about fifty yards past the finish line. I walked the tired, yet very self pleased, stallion over to them. I was walking Spitfire in circles around them, allowing the stallion to cool off. Three minutes later, Sunstreaker came barreling onto the lake shore from the surrounding trees. He was in his mech mode and he stared at me in disbelief. I knew he was regretting giving me that three minute head start because he had lost by three minutes. Sideswipe was laughing so hard at how his twin had lost to Spitfire and me that I thought that the red twin would overload and keel over. Sunstreaker was straight pissed. Soon the rest of the Autobots came. They were overjoyed to find out that Spitfire and I had won the race. I think Quicksilver was the happiest because he wouldn't stop saying, "See! I told you my human would kick his aft!"

* * *

With Spitfire settled in a corral further down the beach, but still easily within sight, I began walking over to where everyone else was. Antony and Sam had set up base camp, their precious food carefully organized. Root beer, soda, cookies, energy drinks, chocolate candy, crackers, marshmallows, and bags filled with every kind of potato chip imaginable. There were also some sandwiches and apples thrown in there, probably so Mikaela and Ratchet wouldn't give them as hard of a time because they had brought every junk food imaginable. Bumblebee reached down to see what the boys were fussing over but Sam immediately shooed him away. 

"This, right here," he said as he motioned to the collection of food, "is the holy ground of teenaged boys. You have to fit strict qualifications to come over here" Poor Bee looked a bit hurt but Mikaela gently patted his leg.

"Don't get offended Bee, you know how overprotective Sam gets when it comes to his food" The younger teen scowled at his girlfriend and then popped open an energy drink. I rolled my eyes and started looking for my bag of things that Antony had brought. My best friend realized what I was looking for and came up to me with my bag. He was wearing black swim trunks with a grey and red dragon on the left side. He also wore a baggy black sleeveless shirt that showed off his incredibly defined arms. After tossing me my bag he went off to make sure that Sam didn't claim all of the food. I went off on my own into the oaks and brush that surrounded the lakeside. I already had my bathing suit on underneath my top and jeans but I didn't feel comfortable taking my top layer of clothes off in front of everyone. Antony always gave me a hard time about being self-conscious with my body. It was one thing to be in my bathing suit around the horses but an entirely different thing being in my bathing suit in front of others. Not to mention that it was impossible not to be jealous of Mikaela's incredible body. Even if my black bikini with a pink rhinestone hibiscus flower on the left side of the top was one of the cutest bikinis I'd ever seen.

When I came out, I ran over the hot sand and dropped my bag of with the others' bags. Immediately, Antony's eyes locked onto me and I froze. He threw his armload of wood into the pile for the bonfire later that night and came swaggering over to me. Before he came any closer I darted away, threatening him to not get close to me. I knew exactly what was running through his twisted mind. Antony knew that I figured out what he was thinking and he wore a crooked smile.

"Aw, come on Faith! Lets go for a lil' dip" I bitterly laughed at the words 'lil' dip'. There was nothing _little_ about the fifty foot cliff he wanted to throw me off of. The last time we had come to this lake, way before the Autobots or even Mr. Freedmont had come into my life, Antony had found a thin trail that led to the small cliffs that bordered one side of the lake. He had promptly thrown me over his shoulder, hiked up the trail, and threw me off of the edge and into the water below. I was pissed and I wasn't about to go through that experience again.

"Stay away Antony or else I'll sic Kobe on you. Don't think I won't!!" My threats were ignored with deaf ears. Antony started running at me and with a yelp I ran away. We darted in every kind of direction, sand and water spraying everywhere. When I demanded Kobe to threaten Antony, the Doberman puppy decided that it would be more fun to chase us, barking loudly. So I resorted to Quicksilver. He turned out to be as much help as Kobe; the traitorous silver Autobot just laughed and watched along with the other mechs. Sam seemed to have caught on to Antony's plan for me and decided that Mikaela also needed to go for a swim after a long drop. He had grabbed his girlfriend but was having a hard time keeping a good hold on her.

"Come on Antony!" he called over just as a metal hand shot in front of me to keep me from running. A very bitter Sunstreaker, with revenge on the forefront of his mind, kept me in one place long enough for Antony to grab me and throw me over his shoulder. I kicked and slammed my fists into his back as he ran over to Sam. Despite my and Mikaela's valiant, and violent, protests we were wrestled up to the top of the cliff.

"Antony," Optimus called out in his booming voice, "are you sure that this is safe?" The other Autobots, except the twins, were just as concerned and it looked like Quicksilver and Bee were about to start up the cliff to save Mikaela and me. Oh, _now_ they want to help us out.

"Naw, don't worry Optimus. As long as they go in feet first they won't end up paralyzed" With that, Antony walked over to the edge and flung me off into space. Somehow I managed to twist my body enough to grab onto Antony's shirt and he came toppling off the edge with me. Antony was laughing as I screamed every kind of profanity I knew at the top of my lungs. It was the most bizarre feeling as it seemed like the bottom of my stomach dropped as it rose all the way up to my neck. Still holding onto Antony, I moved so that I was going down feet first and I didn't stop screaming until I took a deep breath of air before we plunged into the water. Billions of tiny white bubbles surrounded us and I would have felt as if I were in a separate world if it wasn't for my handful of Antony's shirt. With the bubbles starting to dwindle I could see the dark blue water with my blurry vision. Looking up I could see the sun glowing through the clear shimmering, dancing layer of water. Antony swam in front of me, his white teeth flashing as he smiled. His baggy shirt fluttered with his and the water's movements. We started kicking our way up to the surface. The moment we broke through I took a deep breath of precious air. Quicksilver was yelling desperately to know if I was all right and I called out my reassurance. The poor guy was almost up to his knees in the lake and reluctantly returned to the beach. Antony was right beside me and we turned our faces from the enormous splash of water when Mikaela came crashing down. Sam was laughing hysterically up on the cliff edge and didn't notice Bee sneaking up behind him. I had never heard a more girly and high-pitched scream come out of any boy, or girl for that matter, as when the teenager was nudged over the cliff edge. Even though Bee towered over fifty feet above us, I could see how bright and cheerful his blue optics were. A bizarrely unfamiliar, but extremely happy, sound was coming from the mech as he laughed. Sam surfaced, spluttering water everywhere.

"Bee!" he waved a dripping hand up at the top of the cliff, "What's with that? You're supposed to have my back!" Sam's face was covered in incredulous shock. Bee just kept on laughing hysterically.

"That's what you call karma. If you didn't put food over others, you would be sun-tanning on the beach eating your Funions" Mikaela responded for Bee who was still laughing too hard.

"I'm hurt Bee, I'm hurt" Sam said as we began swimming toward the shore.

Poor Quicksilver was absolutely distraught when I walked out of the water. He promptly scanned me, making me turn around in a full circle so that he could check from every angle that I was all right. Jazz just congratulated Antony on getting me off the edge which earned both of them a glare from me. Sadly, the boys only seemed to have gotten a rush from their little flight. Soon a contest erupted between the mechs, mainly the twins, on who could toss the teenaged boys the furthest into the lake. The Autobots were more than careful not to hurt the much more fragile earth beings while Sam and Antony were having the times of their young, stupid lives. Mikaela and I watched on with disbelief. Optimus stood beside me, watching everything with amused optics.

"I just want to point out, that all humans aren't like those two" I said while pointing my finger at Antony who was trying to pull off a somersault midair before hitting the water with an enormous splash. Optimus laughed.

"That's one of the first things I learned when I came to Earth" After a moment he then added, "The second was that teenaged boys have a bizarre affinity for recklessness"

"You're a quick learner" Mikaela said with an enormous smile. All of our smiles turned into pained grimaces when Sam did a massive belly flop.

* * *

The bonfire was simply enormous, almost as tall as Jazz. It created a comforting circle of light along the sandy beach. The flames' light and the moonlight combined and seemed to dance along the surface of the nearby water. Along with the crackling of the flames and wood, there were words flying around the night air. I was resting peacefully on my blanket in the sand with Kobe nestled against me as I listened to the conversations around me. Most of them were in English but every once in a while I'd hear a few Cybertronian words. Then everything went silent just as something pressed against the top of my head. I looked directly up and found myself staring up Spitfire's long face. I groaned and berated myself for not realizing that the stallion can easily jump out of the corral he was being kept in. As if he knew how much trouble he possibly could be in, Spitfire started nuzzling my wet hair. I laughed and reached up to scratch behind his ear. Spitfire took a step closer and gently nudged me with his nose. I began scratching harder which caused the large stallion to stretch his head out, wiggling his upper lip in pleasure. The conversations had continued while I got up and began leading Spitfire back to his corral. Hopefully the Autobots would help me out if my horse decided to make any more visits since there really wasn't anything I could do to keep him fenced in if he was just going to jump out. Spitfire amiably followed along, playfully nipping at the ties of my bathing suit or at the jeans I had put on. Kobe came happily bounding up and took a big mouthful of Spitfire's thick tail, letting himself be dragged along by the massive stallion. Spitfire let out a squeal and popped his behind up in the air but made sure he didn't kick the dog. Spitfire was an absolute troublemaker and had a hot temper but he also had a great heart. He reminded me a lot of the Autobots, especially the twins. 

Great footsteps came running up from behind me and I turned around to see Quicksilver jogging over. He explained he wanted to see if I needed help keeping Spitfire in the corral. I smiled and thanked him. Something told me that Spitfire would still manage to get out even if an advanced alien tried to keep him locked up. A shrill sound suddenly struck in the night air and I jumped. Quicksilver laughed.

"Ironhide didn't like Streaker's comment about Hide's 'toy' guns" Vehement Cybertronian words were flying around the group at the bonfire behind us and I was suddenly glad for Spitfire's escape. It was then that a random question popped into my head.

"How do you say your name in your language?" I asked, looking up at Quicksilver. There was a blur of black that ran between us followed by a much larger blur of red. Kobe happily ran around the beach with Spitfire in hot pursuit, beginning a game of tag. I was watching them so closely that I jumped when I heard Quicksilver's response. The sound he made was nearly indescribable. It was like a combination of gears whirring but there was a soft whistle in the undertone. There was a great amount of strength and pride in the way he said it.

"That sounds really cool. What about my name?" This time his voice was much softer and there was more of a whistle rather than the gears whirring. I committed both names to memory. "I know that there's no way I could ever speak Cybertronian but I really want to understand it" I said, speaking my thoughts aloud as I opened the corral gate. I gave a short whistle and called over to Spitfire. The stallion trotted over and before I shooed him in I put my hands on both of his massive cheeks.

"Stay in the corral. No jumping or else I'll get Ironhide over here to keep an eye on you" Quicksilver gave a short a laugh and then I pushed the stallion into the corral. He stared at me as I closed the gate. Something told me I'd be getting a lot more visits from him. Quicksilver, Kobe, and I started walking back to the bonfire.

"I'll teach you" It took me a moment to realize what he said. When I did realize, I immediately perked up.

"Really? You have no idea how incredible that'd be!"

"I can't guarantee that you'll catch on real fast because it's so complicated but you're smart enough to get the basics"

"Thank you, Quicksilver" I said, my words glowing with pleasure. My Guardian looked down and smiled at me.

"Your welcome Faith" My happy mood stayed with me until we reached the bonfire. Something wasn't right. Nothing had really changed but at the same time, something had. I sat down beside Quicksilver with Kobe sitting between my legs. I was leaning forward, hugging the large dog to me.

"Come on Faith, we're playing a game" Mikaela said as soon as I was settled. "It's the one where you say two things, one a lie and one the truth. We have to guess which one is the lie and if we catch you then you have to drink one of those nasty energy drinks. Oh, and you also have to drink one if you call someone out on a lie but it's actually the truth"

"We're going to guess each other's lies and the Autobots will guess each other's lies" Sam piped up from next to Mikaela. "We'll go and then they'll go. Take turns and all"

"It wouldn't be fair if we all played together. We can monitor you humans and instantly know which is the lie" Jazz explained.

"I just don't understand the point of this game" Ironhide grumbled. He went on complaining but I didn't hear what he was saying. Antony had sat down beside me and was fiddling with his shirt. Apparently he had spilled something sticky on his shirt. I leaned toward him so that anyone who wasn't paying attention to Antony and I wouldn't overhear what I was about to say.

"It'd be okay…if you take your shirt off. I now how much you hate stains" I said with a forced smile. Antony looked at me slightly confused. He knew how sensitive I was to seeing his tattoo and scar, especially after the whole ordeal with how the Autobots found out about our past. "I need to get over this. And it's not fair to make you uncomfortable so I can stay in my lovely world of denial" Antony studied me carefully. Then he slowly and hesitantly removed his shirt. If I swore on my horses' health that I did _not_ think that Antony had the most incredible body, I would have five dead horses. Antony looked like he had been the model for Michelangelo's "David". I couldn't help but to sneak a glance over at Mikaela. At first she didn't notice anything. But when she looked over at us when Quicksilver said something about Ironhide's complaining, she did a double take. Sam noticed how distracted she was and followed her line of vision. I could see the jealousy on his face as he tried to inconspicuously try to flex his arms and bare torso as he wrapped an arm around his girlfriend. She quickly snapped out of her trance and tried to puff Sam's ego a bit by commenting on his abs. I looked back over at Antony, expecting to see his ego gloating at the attention. But Antony was completely focused on me and I don't think he ever looked away. Words were still flying around among the mechs.

"Just start the game. If someone doesn't want to participate, then they don't have to" Optimus said in an exasperated tone.

"Go get the drinks Antony" Sideswipe said. His patience had waned thin and it seemed like he was eager to start. Finally Antony tore his gaze from me before he rose to his feet. I knew that everyone was trying not to, but they were all looking at the tattoo that covered Antony's back. It was one of those tattoos that was more like artwork rather than the result of a late night drunken visit to the tattoo parlor. It was of an enormous Chinese dragon, teeth bared, snaking around the upper part of his back. Surrounding it was a ring of flames and if one looked carefully a scar could be seen, and felt, through the heavy ink. Something else that could be seen if looked carefully for, were words inscribed in the dragon's outline. They were virtues, such as love, peace, strength, and loyalty, which Antony had or was aspiring to. However there was only one virtue inscribed in the outline of the dragon's head. It was the virtue of faith.

* * *

One thing was for sure. I was damn good at picking out lies. We were well into the game and so far, out of the humans, Mikaela and I were the only ones who hadn't taken a swig of that nasty energy drink. The losing Autobots were taking drinks of a blue liquid that Quicksilver told me was high-grade energon. All of the veterans avoided losing so none of them had taken in any of the liquid. It was funny actually because I would have thought that the twins would have been winning at the game but I quickly realized that they were losing on purpose. Poor Quicksilver and Bee were losing the most. Both of them were just a bit tipsy. Something that bothered me was how Sam and Antony were behaving. The energy drinks were really getting to them but I had seen Antony on a sugar rush plenty of times before but it had never been like this. He was as energetic as if he had a finger stuck up an electrical socket but he was also slurring his words and having trouble focusing. If I didn't see how he only drank the energy drinks and other drinks that we had with us, I would have guessed he was drunk. I was so focused on his behavior that I was caught off guard when it was my turn. Thinking fast, I came up with a weak truth and lie. 

"Okay…" I trailed off trying to think. "When I was little I had a pet snake. Or, I had a scholarship to UCLA" Antony started laughing, holding onto his drink possessively as he pretty much fell over.

"Yo are scared _shitless_ outta snakes 'nd there's no way in a _hell_ that you'd eve' get one of dos nasties as a pet" My eyes widened at the same time as my eyebrows furrowed. There was seriously something wrong with that boy.

"Whoa, wait, hold on" Mikaela said as she waved everyone done who was laughing at Antony's behavior. "You're telling me that you have a scholarship to _UCLA_, a first tier school and one of the best in the state, and yet you're not attending" Her voice was almost shrill and I could see how astonished she was. All I could do was shrug my shoulders.

"I was really messed up with the Freedmont thing" I explained. I knew that everyone knew what happened so I didn't need to worry about keeping the truth a secret anymore. "And I had to leave LA but that meant I couldn't attend the college so I lost out on the scholarship"

"Can't you get it back?" Mikaela's shock was still there but she was starting to get annoyed with Sam who was playing with her hair. She slapped him away so he resorted to fiddling around with the empty energy drink bottles scattered around him.

"I really don't know but probably not" Mikaela looked like she was going to say something but she was interrupted.

"_Pttcchhh, _that's all in da past. You've gotta drink up Faith!" Antony cheerfully announced as he shoved an unopened bottle into my hands.

"Yeah, drink up Faith" the twins snickered. I scowled at all of them as I opened the bottle. The soft hiss of released carbonization startled Kobe who was asleep beside me. It was funny though because normally the noise was a lot louder. I stared in disgusted awe as smoke literally came from the drink. Kobe curiously sniffed it but made a face and turned up his nose at the offensive stuff. I made a face and downed some of it. Immediately I spat it out, making Quicksilver shake with laughter. There were loud protests, all demanding me to drink it. I did but with narrowed eyes. There was a distinct taste to it, a taste that shouldn't have been there. I grabbed Antony's drink from him. If he wasn't so tipsy I knew I wouldn't have been able to take it from him. I sniffed his drink and then turned my nose up in disdain.

"Mikaela, taste Sam's drink" I ordered, completely serious. She gave me a strange look but was able to wrestle the drink from Sam. She took a single swallow when realization dawned on her.

"_What the hell did you do these drinks?!_" I yelled, practically attacking Antony.

"I didn't do nuthin' to des dings!" Antony said as he snatched his drink back from me and then drained the container. "But whateva 'appened to 'em, I liiiiiike it" Antony was a bad liar. If he wasn't, then he wouldn't be in this state. And he wasn't lying; he was completely naïve to how the drinks had been spiked. Mikaela was busy fending off Sam who was attempting to start a make-out session but was able to manage to let me know he had nothing to do with the spiked drinks. The Autobots were clueless as to what was going on. All except two. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker looked like they were about to explode with hysterics. Slowly I stood up, all of my feminine fury boiling up.

"Faith, what's going on?" Quicksilver asked, both concerned and confused. I ignored his question and looked at Optimus.

"Those two," I said while pointing at the twins who were trying to control themselves, "spiked our drinks with alcohol. Antony and Sam are piss ass drunk" Optimus' optics narrowed dangerously. He pulled himself up to his full towering height. The twins instantly cowered, their optics wide with fear. They were _soooo _going down.

_**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed and I'll update as soon as I write the next chapter.**_


	20. Chapter 20

**_Author's Note: I have to say that this was the most difficult chapter to write. Not from writer's block and all that but because it was so hard to go off with the cliches. I'm hoping that I didn't but if I did, please let me know in a kind, unflaming way. Hope you enjoy and thank you to all of my reviewers!!!!_**

"I can't believe I have to be the designated driver for my car" I grumbled as I drove the somewhat squirrelly car into town. At least Quicksilver was better off than Bee, although it was my Guardian who just about permanently took out the twins. No one wanted to cut our night out at the lake short so I took Quicksilver and Kobe to get some alcohol free drinks and food. I still couldn't figure out how Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had managed to spike every single beverage we had. I was just going to have to add that to the growing list of things I didn't understand, and probably never would, about the Autobots.

"I just wish I could be back there laying into those two slagheads. I need some good long-distance target practice" Quicksilver growled.

"When we left they had them cornered up on the cliff. I'm sure that they're learning their lesson with the possible threat of drowning" Even though Quicksilver was mad at them, he still shuddered at the thought of being beneath the water. I guess they worked the same as cars and if they were submerged their systems would flood. It was enough to give any mech nightmares which explained why the twins were close to hysterics when cornered by the others on the cliff. Of course the twins were in enough hysterics when Optimus announced that their punishment would be to help me move an enormous pile of horse manure into a dumpster to be taken away. The thought of handling the manure, for Sunstreaker, was enough to make being shoved off a cliff and into a lake a pretty good alternative. I was violently jarred out of my thoughts when Quicksilver slammed on his brakes, blaring his horn. He broke out in swears, switching between English and Cybertronian. Apparently he had cut someone off and was enraged that the car retaliated by tailgating him. I smacked the dashboard and paid attention as I took over driving.

"For a while you were acting sweet and protective and then you have to go reminding me what a jerk you can be" Quicksilver revved his engine angrily. Great, my Guardian had to be an angry drunk. I glanced over at Kobe who was sitting in the passenger seat. I was starting to regret taking him along with me into town but I didn't want to risk him accidentally getting stepped on with everything that was happening at the beach. If it wasn't for Spitfire's amazing self-preservations skills, which always became obvious when I was always the one hurt when we took a fall during a ride, I would have found a way to get him back home to the stable. But then again that would mean having to explain the whole situation to Popi, causing him to grab his shotgun and join in on reeking vengeance against Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.

I was more than relieved when we pulled into the twenty-four hour grocery store. It was pretty late at night and only a few people were out but since I had my fearsome Doberman with me, I knew they wouldn't give me any problems. Not to mention I had an angry drunk warrior keeping an ever watchful eye on me, not that anyone I would encounter would know that. I quickly made the purchases I needed and thankfully it wasn't much. I made a point on not buying any energy drinks or anything with sugar or caffeine. I was walking back to Quicksilver with an armload of groceries when I saw Kobe, still inside Quicksilver, growling at a building across the street. I instantly recognized it as the old warehouse where I first met Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. Unsure of what was going on, I began walking faster to the Benz; it was incredibly out of character for Kobe to be growling at something that didn't provoke him. Curious, but not willing to venture into the old warehouse at night, I motioned for the passenger's door to swing open so I could put the drinks on the floor. Kobe, however, decided he had other plans. Before I was even able to get the drinks in, the Doberman bolted from the car and towards the busy street. I screamed as I dropped my groceries, running after my dog before he was run over. No matter how loud I yelled though, the dog seemed deaf. Dodging the cars that were blaring their horns and slamming to a stop to barely avoid him, Kobe managed to cross the street miraculously unharmed. Without thinking I followed him across the street, narrowly missing getting hit. I was just about to catch up to him when he squirmed his way through a hole in the old chain link fence. It was too small for me so by the time I ran to the enormous break that Sideswipe had created, Kobe had disappeared into the warehouse through the same hole that Antony and I had used to get out.

Everything was so dark inside the warehouse. All there was for light was the moonlight coming through the old windows that ran along the walls. It took me a moment before my eyes could adjust but before they could, I was running toward Kobe's growling. My heart instantly froze when I saw who Kobe was growling at.

"My dear Faith. I haven't been in this town for more than a few hours and here you are. I knew you'd find me" I could feel my whole body begin shaking as I stared at Mr. Freedmont. Kobe was standing between us, the most ferocious growl I'd ever heard in my life coming from his lean body. I should have known the moment that Kobe took off running that he was after Mr. Freedmont. After all, the Doberman was trained to protect me and in doing so, was taught to recognize, and go after, Mr. Freedmont's scent. No matter how much I wanted to, I was absolutely frozen with fear. My mind kept yelling at my mouth to call Kobe off but it was if I had been turned into a statue. Mr. Freedmont made a movement and I saw him slowly reveal his hand behind his back. Tightly grasped in it, was a gun. The old man's movement triggered Kobe. My beloved dog snarled and leapt forward to attack Mr. Freedmont. I screamed as multiple gunshots blasted through the warehouse. Kobe came crashing to the floor in a bloody heap.

"Take this as a lesson Faith" I was told coldly as I dropped to my knees in pure horror at the sight of my poor dog dying before my eyes. "This mutt was only the first. You'll be the second. And as you lay dying, I want you to know that I'll be killing all of those who you love, for how you betrayed me. Your family, horses, friends. And that n----r of yours will die the most excruciating death" The gun was steadily raised, all ready to be fired. Mr. Freedmont's finger started pulling the trigger and I knew I was going to die. A massive explosion erupted from behind me, knocking me down as debris flew everywhere. By the time my senses came back, Quicksilver was crouched in a battle stance above me. One of his arms had transformed into his gun while the other had a long blade coming from the top of his wrist.

"Put the gun down," he growled, making me shudder with fear at the ferociousness it held even though I knew Quicksilver would never hurt me. Mr. Freedmont's gun clattered to the ground and he took several steps back. But he wasn't afraid like any sane man would be. Instead he looked enraged.

"You constantly disappoint me Faith! First you associate with that n----r and now with these monsters?!"

"_You_ are the monster for what you did, and are still doing, to her" Quicksilver snarled back as he rumbled with anger. The Autobot's cannon started to glow as it came on-line. "I have direct orders not to harm any human but I have no problem accepting the consequences for killing you" Quicksilver crouched lower so that his cannon was not only directly level with Mr. Freedmont but so he was also closer to me. His hand, with the blade still extended, protectively cupped around me. I could no longer see Mr. Freedmont but I still pressed into the warm metal, shaking uncontrollably.

"Then you really don't know of the consequences, do you? It's a nearly impossible coincidence really, but the one called Barricade was the one who alerted me to Faith's presence here" I could feel Quicksilver's hand tense up against me and his weapon began humming madly, begging to be used. "It was an exchange: he would tell me where Faith was and I'd promise not to have my company dismantle him in our experiments. He did, however, leave out her treacherous association with you" My whole world slammed to a screeching halt. That one night in town being chased by Barricade inadvertently led Mr. Freedmont right to me.

"I don't see how this will stop me from killing you. In fact, I think it gives me even more reason" Quicksilver stated lowly.

"Ah, but this is where it gets interesting. My company actually has been looking for you aliens for several months now. It would be no secret if you killed me as my company would know your horrid kind was behind my death and they will come hunting after you. Then poor Faith will be so beside herself with the monstrous grief at the knowledge that she was directly responsible for your demise that she'll take her own life. It really would be a much more fitting punishment for the vile grievances she's caused me" I sobbed at the old man's atrocious words because I knew he spoke the truth. Quicksilver let out a feral growl and I knew that it took every ounce of self control for him to keep from killing the man. He also knew the truth in Mr. Freedmont's words. Calm footsteps rang against the concrete flooring of the warehouse as Mr. Freedmont turned around and left. Quicksilver was shaking with pure hatred and anger as he had to stand back and watch Mr. Freedmont leave alive.

* * *

The tree branch creaked as I swayed gently back and forth on the swing. I was barefoot and I dug my toes into the cold rich earth as I pushed myself. Taffy stood close, uncharacteristically ignoring the grass encircling the tree. Instead she kept her nose by my cheek, licking away my silent tears. Every once in a while I would reach up and stroke her velvet nose. In the distance, about a hundred and fifty yards, I could see the Autobots talking, still trying to decide what to do with Freedmont. I had flat out told them I wanted them to leave so that they wouldn't end up hurt but that only seemed to strengthen their resolve. As I watched them converse, their native language coming to me in whispers every once in a while, I noticed them getting more heated. They were all focused on Optimus when apparently Sunstreaker said something, causing their attention to turn over to the yellow twin. Suddenly Quicksilver lunged at him, attacking him with nearly as much anger that he showed Mr. Freedmont several nights before. Bee looked like he was about to join the brawl so Optimus held the smaller yellow mech back while Ironhide and Ratchet separated the two fighters. Once Quicksilver and Sunstreaker had regained their composure, Optimus made a motion to Ironhide who was standing between the two. The enormous black mech slapped both of them right up side the head as if a father was reprimanding his children while I could hear Optimus' raised and angry voice. I eventually turned my head away from them after they continued their conversation when it seemed like Quicksilver kept looking over at me. 

Taffy wasn't licking my face as much but she still kept close to me. Her nose was nestled in the groove where my neck curved into my shoulder. I rested my head against hers. I was so exhausted from all of the emotions I felt. I was afraid, angry, vengeful, and meek. It seemed like I was expressing every emotion including its opposite and this was starting to take a great toll on me. As I was sitting on the swing with Taffy beside me, my mind had gone blank except for my mother's voice singing me a lullaby. It had been my favorite and she used to sing it to me every night. The first time she sang it to me was when my grandma was sick and I kept demanding to know if she was going to be okay. She explained to me that the song was about a little girl who wanted to know what was going to come in the future; so the girl's mother told her that there was no way of knowing what would happen. My mother's voice sang softly in my mind until the lyrics came murmured from me.

_When I was just a little girl_

_I asked my mother, what will I be?_

_Will I be pretty?_

_Will I be rich?_

_Here's what my mother said to me_

_Que sera, sera_

_Whatever will be, will be_

_The future is not ours to see_

_Que sera, sera_

_When I was just a child in school_

_I asked my teacher, what should I try?_

_Should I paint pictures?_

_Should I sing songs?_

_Her was her wise reply_

_Que sera, sera_

_Whatever will be, will be_

_The future is not ours to see_

_Que sera, sera_

_When I grew up and fell in love_

_I asked my sweetheart what lie ahead_

_Will there be rainbows, day after day?_

_Here's what my sweetheart said_

_Que sera, sera_

_Whatever will be, will be_

_The future is not ours to see_

_Que sera, sera_

_Whatever will be, will be_

_Que sera, sera_

Even though my mom wasn't there to sing me the song, it still calmed me. The tornado of emotions had turned into a breeze but they were still there. I took a deep breath, trying to make sure that the overwhelming emotions wouldn't begin an uprise. Taffy lifted her head from my neck and gently nickered. I knew that it couldn't be any of the Autobots because the footsteps were too small, at least for their standards. Opening my eyes and looking slightly over to my right, I saw Antony walking towards me caring Kobe in his arms. Antony had taken over watching over Kobe so that I could get some peace and alone time outside. The exhausted Doberman was settled down at my feet and I reached forward to pet him. It had been a long struggle for the veterinarians to save my beloved dog and he would never be the same, but what mattered most was that Kobe was going to live.

"When he woke up he wouldn't stop whimpering. I assumed that he wanted you" Antony explained.

"Thanks for bringing him out here, I know he appreciates it" Antony stood staring at me for many long minutes as I scratched Kobe who twisted his head to try and lick my hand. Then the black teenager came in front of me and knelt down, one hand resting on Kobe while the other cupped around my chin.

"You're not alone in this" he whispered, his eyes slightly glassy with tears. "I won't let you push everyone away and there's no way in hell that I'll ever leave your side" I hated it how Antony seemed to know exactly what was going on in my mind even when I didn't. But then again, it was the same reason I loved him so much. Somehow Antony knew that his point had been made. "You have no idea how hard it's been for me to be so close to you and love you as I do, and be nothing more than friends" he whispered, going off in a completely different direction that I would have never expected him to take. I tried to ask why he was telling me this and why he would torture himself like that but he wouldn't let me. "If you knew that I still loved you, how much I wanted to more than just friends, you'd disappear on me. And that would _kill_ me, Faith, to not have you in my life at all" Then slowly he began moving forward until his lips were against mine. I melted against him, letting him pull me closer. After our lips parted I lowered myself onto the ground in front of him and let him hold me, my cheek resting against his chest. Antony's strong arms comforted me and I knew that he'd do anything to keep me safe.

"I'm never going to leave you. I'm never going to let Freedmont hurt you or anyone else. I promise"

Antony gently pushed the swing, keeping his arms loosely wrapped around my hips. His chin was resting on my shoulder as I sat in his lap. Kobe had drifted off at our sleep and Taffy was still keeping her vigil by my side. Eventually Antony whispered into my ear that the Autobots were headed toward us. He took his chin from my shoulder but we were both content for me to stay on his lap. Optimus knelt down, as did the other Autobots although they stayed slightly back behind their leader. I faintly noticed how Quicksilver and Sunstreaker made a point in not being next to each other.

"We've been discussing this and we believe that it would be best for us to leave the ranch to become temporary nomads…and for the both of you to come with us" Optimus said, referring to Antony and I. It was obvious that it was going to have to come to this. Antony would be all for the idea. He would be more than willing to put off college for a semester or two so he could be with the Autobots. Under any other circumstances I would have been more than thrilled to go with them as well. But Mr. Freedmont would follow, putting everyone in danger. Not to mention I was far enough from my family as it was and I couldn't go even further when their lives were endangered. And I couldn't leave my horses.

"I'm all for it," Antony said, as I knew he would, and gave me a soft squeeze hoping that he could get me to agree. With my eyes on Kobe I shook my head.

"I can't leave them" I muttered. I refused to look at any of the Autobots, especially Quicksilver.

"He's after you, Faith, not anyone else. And you'll be safe with us and out of his reach"

"You didn't hear what he had been saying before he was about to shoot me," I finally looked up at Quicksilver, my eyes watering with a fresh onslaught of tears, "did you?" By Quicksilver's guarded look I guessed that he hadn't. "He's going to kill me and then he promised that he would kill everyone I love…my family, friends, horses, Antony, and now probably you" There were several scoffing remarks from the younger mechs at what they thought was a ridiculous idea that Mr. Freedmont would ever be able to harm them.

"Come on shawty, do you really think that slagging bastard would ever be able to hurt us? All we have to do is step on him" Jazz said as he reached forward with his hand to tip my chin up toward him and the others.

"Or run him over" Sideswipe added with a cheerful, and slightly disturbing, smile.

"Turn our basses all the way up and pound his head off" Bumblebee's radio started playing softly.

"We could throw him. See how far he'd go up and then how high he'd bounce once he hit the ground" Sunstreaker had a thoughtful look in his azure optics.

"Just shoot him for Primus' sake" Ironhide grumbled.

"I second that" Quicksilver's voice was low and deadly.

"I can't get you involved in this" I said simply, completely ignorant to the mech's attempts to raise my confidence in being safe with them. It took everything I had to keep all emotion from showing.

"You and your planet were involved in our war. Now, we will join yours Faith"

"So many people have been hurt by this man. Antony was killed, my parents lost their daughter, I haven't talked to my friends back home in months, Kobe may never be able to run again, and I still don't know how I was able to pull myself out of my depression. How could I risk even more people being hurt?" The Autobots were silent for a while. Then they used every kind of tact and ploy to get me to change my mind. It was Antony who came closest to swaying me.

"They'll keep us safe and I know they'll keep your family safe too. Because face it, there's no way I can face Freedmont and whatever he has stored. I would get killed again defending you, no second thoughts, but it's an experience I'd rather avoid" I set my jaw and refused to respond. The atmosphere became tense as everyone was starting to lose their patience. There was no way that they would give in and I knew that if I did leave with the mechs, that I couldn't possibly be in safer hands. But then what? Live in fear as we travel around with no home? At that moment I knew what I would have to do. It would hurt me more than death, but I couldn't risk the Autobots being hurt, or anyone else. Reluctantly I pretended to agree to leave with them, my heart breaking at the thought that I was lying to them.

"Let me talk to her" Popi's calm voice said from behind the Autobots before they could respond to my giving in. Optimus considered it a moment and then ordered his men to leave. Antony rose beneath me and, as Popi instructed, picked Kobe up and took the recovering dog inside. I stayed standing, my arms crossed and leaning against Taffy's shoulder.

"They'd find you" Popi said simply when everyone had left. I refused to look at the man who had become my second-father. "They're trained soldiers and you'd have to go to extremes to keep ahead of them. Then you'd have to run from Freedmont _and_ the Autobots"

"You underestimate me," I whispered as my eyes raised briefly to meet Popi's. The older man took several steps forward and cupped his hands around my jaw. He forced me to look him in the eye and wouldn't let me turn away.

"How do you expect to take five horses with you? And an injured dog? Not to mention Antony would be right there beside you and you know how much attention he loves to draw to himself. Think reasonably about this Faith"

"He'll hurt them. He'll kill them" Popi drew me closer into a bear hug. I wrapped my arms around him, breathing in his distinctly Popi scent.

"You'll hurt them even more by betraying them. Quicksilver absolutely adores you…" Popi didn't even have to finish. I knew that it would kill my Guardian for me to disappear and be running from him. All I had to do to see the Autobot's loyalty to those close to them was by watching Bee and Sam for five minutes. The yellow mech was like a big brother, sometimes even acting like a mother, the way he was always keeping a careful eye on his charge. And Bee was the same way with Mikaela and she wasn't even technically his charge.

"Go with the Autobots back to LA, to be close to your family instead of traveling around," Popi continued as he rubbed my back soothingly. "I'll watch over the horses and Kobe until things calm down" Slowly I began nodding my head against Popi's chest, finally giving in to what I knew deep down inside was best.

* * *

I lay awake for hours, unable to fall asleep. My things were packed in a single bag which lay next to my door. Antony, Sam, and Mikaela seemed stoked even though we all agreed that instead of wandering around, it would be best to return to LA to our families and friends. As I lay in my bed with Kobe up against me, I kept telling myself that I was safe. The Autobots were a short distance away conferring and Antony was lightly sleeping in the room next to mine. With those reassurances in my mind, I was finally able to drift off into a restless sleep. 

It was a soft bang that woke me up. I was completely disoriented, unsure if I was really awake or just dreaming. For a moment everything went a bit black and I wasn't sure if I had drifted off to sleep again. That is, until another bang was heard, and felt, but this time it was much louder. Slowly I sat up in my bed and anxiously waited for the sound again so I could figure out what exactly was going on. Silence enveloped my room for several minutes.

"Antony?" I hesitantly called out and no response came. "Quicksilver?" I tried again. Still, the only response was silence. Goosebumps rose all over and the hair on my arms and back of my neck stood on end. A feeling of dread filled me. With extreme hesitation I pulled back the covers so I could get up and inadvertently put them over the still sleeping Kobe. The sound was coming from my closet door and I knew that something had come up the passage way that led to the stable. Just as I was getting up, something slammed against the closest door. The door broke right off of its hinges and fell to the ground while a silver chattering blur burst through. I screamed and narrowly dove out of its way. Instantly I recognized Frenzy and began screaming for help. The small robot began its incessant chatter as it leapt at me. By some miracle I was able to keep just out of Frenzy's grasp but eventually the agile and rabid robot caught me.

Glass shattered as Frenzy threw us both out of one of my windows. Before I could let out another scream I felt wiry arms keep me from hitting the ground as the Decepticon landed. Desperately I tried to free myself from the metal claws as I looked around for the Autobots. It was easy to spot them as they were running toward the house with all of their weaponry ready. I strained against Frenzy's hold toward them but screamed when three jets came barreling down from the sky. The jets transformed so that they were between the Autobots and I. An enormous fight erupted and things only got worse when Barricade came driving out of nowhere accompanied by two more unknown mechs. Both of the newcomers transformed and eagerly joined the fight. Sideswipe was the closest to me and he fired off a round right into a grey-colored mech's chest as he called out a promise that he'd get me away from Frenzy. The red Autobot maneuvered around the shot mech but was then slammed to the ground when a Decepticon tackled Ironhide into the red twin. Unable to rescue me from Frenzy himself, Sideswipe called out in Cybertronian. Naturally Quicksilver was the first to respond. Something exploded right before a Decepticon was shot down and I felt a glimmer of hope as I saw my Guardian running towards me with no opposition. The shutters over his optics were narrowed dangerously and I knew he was taking aim. I kept fighting off Frenzy as I gave everything I had to make it over to Quicksilver. Squirming from the small mech's grasp I made a run for Quicksilver. I screamed out in pain as something tackled me to the ground, cursing madly. Quicksilver gave an infuriated cry and shot off a round that was way too close to me.

Something slid into the skin of my upper right arm, reminding me of when I had received vaccination shots at the doctors. I tried calling out for Quicksilver who had been ambushed by Barricade but I wasn't able to speak. In fact, I wasn't able to move and no matter how hard I fought it, I slipped into unconsciousness. The last thing I remembered was Quicksilver desperately calling out my name as he was shot in the torso.

**_Author's Note: Now, did you really think I was going to kill Kobe? I love the classics but I'm not one for following the popular trend of whenever there's a dog as a main character in a book, the dog ends up dead (Like in Where the Red Fern Grows, Old Yeller, etc.) I hate cliffhangers as much as the next person but I figured I'd update with one chapter now rather than in who knows how long with two chapters. So if anyone is absolutely going to die if they don't know whats going to happen next, they can message me and I'll give hints. But it'd be their own faults for ruining the ending and the only reason I'd be giving out hints is because I have no idea when my next update will be done. Which leads me to my next thing. I just wanted to let ya'll know that there's about two more chapters left of this story. I'm sad, that's for sure. : (_**

**_Author's Note II: The song "Que sera, sera" is not mine._**


	21. Chapter 21

My head was pounding and it didn't help that my body was shivering violently. I was laying on something cold and slightly damp. By the roughness I guess that it was concrete. When I managed to open my eyes everything around me was blurry. Not that I would have been able to see anyways because it was so dark.

"Quicksilver?" I hesitantly called out. Maybe, just maybe, he was able to reach me after I blacked out. There was no response so I started calling out the names of the other Autobots. Still, there was nothing. A horrible foreboding feeling enveloped me.

"Antony?...Popi?" I prayed that they wouldn't be there with me, wherever I was. This time I was relieved when there was no response. I assumed that it was all right to believe that I was the only one taken. With that reassurance I began reaching around to find anything that would tell me where I was. All I felt was the damp concrete floor and empty space. I realized that I must have been in the middle of some room. Sitting up, I hugged my legs to my chest and buried my face in my knees. There was a certain amount of solace that the others weren't there and hopefully unharmed. Mr. Freedmont had always wanted me and now he had me without anyone else being caught in the crossfire. Of course, for all I knew, I was the only one alive from the ranch but I refused to believe that. Something inside of me told me that the others were alive. The one thing that kept repeating over and over in my head, saving me from going insane with how alone I was and the knowledge that I was going to die, was that at least the others were okay.

As I sat there in the dark room I lost all track of time. For all I knew, days were passing. My stomach began twisting with hunger and I could feel my lips beginning to crack. More than anything my body wanted to sleep but I was so taken with fear that I refused to let myself be caught unaware. At some point a door was swung open, the light coming from the other side blinding me. There was a distorted rectangle of light that shone into the room but it wasn't bright enough for me to really look at my prison cell. A foreboding figure was silhouetted in the doorway.

"Dear Faith, why did you have to make so much trouble?" Mr. Freedmont muttered. The only response I gave was a glare before burying my face back into my arms. I just wanted him to leave me alone. "It would have taken just that little fanatic robot they call Frenzy to get you but you had to create an uproar. Now two of those Decepticons are dead and useless to our studies" Mr. Freedmont seemed more annoyed than angry but he was one of those people who felt that others were just tools and were easily replaceable. But from what Quicksilver and the other Autobots had told me about the Decepticons, they had far too much pride to allow themselves to be used by tools, especially by humans. So it made no sense that Mr. Freedmont had sent the Decepticons on an errand to kidnap me.

"The Decepticons hate you and you hate all the Cybertronians, so why are you working together?" I looked up at Mr. Freedmont and found that the lights weren't as glaring. Mr. Freedmont seemed amused at my question and to my despair he came into the room. I was so focused with fear at his approach that I barely caught a glimpse of the dank hallway outside. The older man came closer to me. He was just about to reach out and touch me when I scurried out of his reach. A scowl covered his features but thankfully he got the hint that I didn't want him anywhere near me.

"It's simple really. I wanted you and they want the fragment of the Allspark" I felt my eyes widen with shock. None of the Autobots had ever mentioned that there was still a remaining portion of the Allspark that hadn't been destroyed. Immediately, Mr. Freedmont caught on. He gave a sickeningly amused smile. "Oh, so you're friends didn't tell you that the Allspark wasn't completely destroyed? How did you expect that Jazz character to have been revived? He was, after all, torn in half. It appears to me that those Autobots of yours aren't exactly as you thought they were" Mr. Freedmont continued telling me how the Autobots had betrayed me and were not trustworthy. He was trying to brainwash me into hating the Autobots. It was easy to ignore him. How could Optimus ever betray me when he had kept me secret even from Quicksilver and had also gone a step further by making sure that no one would ever find out about it unless I myself told them? How could Quicksilver, the mech who pledged to be my Guardian, ever be untrustworthy when he acted like the epitome of my big brother? Mr. Freedmont's words were blocked out by all of the memories that I shared with the Autobots. He would never turn me against them, _ever_.

"They may have not told me about the fragment to protect me" I muttered. What I would have given to have been stronger against Mr. Freedmont.

"Now do you really believe that dear Faith?"

"Yeah, I do" Mr. Freedmont gave a snort of indignation but I continued. "They knew that the Decepticons are after it and the less I knew about it the better. All I needed to know was that the Decepticons would do whatever it would take to get the remains of the Allspark. And they'll never get it"

"You're right, they won't. That's actually why I'm here. An 'exchange' will be taking place soon. The Autobots believe they'll be getting you in exchange for the Allspark, which the Decepticons believe I'll be giving to them. In all actuality though, none of those aliens will be getting anything" Before I could respond, two burly men holding coils of rope exploded into the room. I began scrambling backwards to get away from them but my back hit a wall. I screamed and tried fighting them off but they were far too strong for me. It was easy to tell that they had done this kind of work before.

I was tightly bound and gagged before being carried over one of the men's shoulders out of the room with Mr. Freedmont walking ahead of us. Despite the restraints I squirmed against my captor's extremely tight hold. I may have been terrified of Mr. Freedmont but I was in no way afraid of these two other men. The hallway we were going down was just as dank as the room I had been kept in. Flickering light bulbs lined the ceiling of the hall but there were no windows for me to see where I was or even where we were going. Finally we came to a thick iron door that the man who wasn't carrying me opened. He held it open for Mr. Freedmont and the man who was carrying me but I had to twist my body to avoid hitting the metal threshold. The moment we were outside, I felt a salty breeze that was freezing with the night cold. I looked over my shoulder and saw the dark ocean and could hear the waves beneath us. We were at some rundown abandoned port with a pier that extended far over the ocean. The men walked over so that we were a few yards from the edge of the pier. I was practically dumped to the ground but I managed to elbow the man somewhere on his massive bulk while being set down. For the most part the vast pier was abandoned except for discarded equipment consisting of hoses and chains that were next to the salt-eroded buildings that kept the goings on of the pier kept secret from prying eyes. There was also a pile of rubbish next to us on the edge. It had large metal barrels, thick metal chains, and concrete blocks. Terror filled me at the sight of the pile but a voice of reason told me that Mr. Freedmont would want me alive, not dead. Then again, I'd rather be dead than for him to have his way with me.

Everything was quiet for a short while. Then there was a faint roar of jet engines that were becoming louder as they came nearer. Two of the three jets that I first saw when I was kidnapped came flying in from the night sky. They transformed in mid-air to land heavily on the thick wooding of the pier. Out of the shadows Barricade and the other newcomer came lithely walking. Frenzy was an excited chattering silver blur that stayed close to the black and white Decepticon. They lined up next to one of the buildings. I could instantly tell the difference between the two factions of Autobots. The Decepticons had an extremely intimidating air to them and they didn't have to do anything at all to show how dangerous they really were. As they stood together, all of them appearing extremely smug, they kept a wary eye on Mr. Freedmont. One of the jets began walking over, his metallic footsteps thudding against the wooden pier which was groaning with the strain of the moving weight. The Decepticon was enormous with blood red optics. He was bulky with the outfit of the beige fighter jet.

"When are the Autobots due to arrive?" The voice was scratchy but it echoed within his massive metallic body before coming out.

"They will be arriving soon Starscream," Mr. Freedmont said with a bit of disdain which earned a scowl from Starscream. "You know the plan and that involves-"

"Will you quit talking you abstinent human?!" Starscream boomed. I jumped at the ferociousness in his voice. "We know the plan and how we _will_ have the Allspark fragment at the end of this little meeting" Slowly the beige mech began backing up before turning to return to the other Decepticons. As soon as Starscream was with the others, Mr. Freedmont muttered something to the man who wasn't holding me. The man walked away and disappeared through a doorway into one of the surrounding buildings. Without any kind of warning there were several massive explosions that took place where the Decepticons were standing. A bizarre fog settled over them, leaving them disoriented. I watched in fascinated horror as smaller, human forms came out of nowhere, their shadows drifting around in the haze. Rope-like shadows shot out and captured the limbs of the flailing mechs. Before the fog even disappeared I saw people walking around spraying the Decepticons with something. Several minutes later I stared with disbelief as the Decepticons were frozen in place with all of the people completely hidden again. Even though I was gagged, I let out a horrified whimper at the thought that the Autobots could meet the same fate.

The Autobots came far too soon. I could feel my heart pounding when I saw them spot the frozen Decepticons. Even when I noticed that not all of the Autobots were there, my heart was still acting like a drum. Optimus was in the lead, flanked by Quicksilver and Ironhide. The twins were also there as well as a black and white Autobot that I didn't recognize. Ironhide had his hand on Quicksilver's shoulder to keep my enraged Guardian from rushing over to me. I could feel Quicksilver's ice cold optics completely riveted on me. We were both completely focused on each other until Optimus began speaking.

"I trust that Faith is unharmed" His deep authoritative voice had a blood-chilling amount of contempt to it, something I had never heard from him before.

"She's fine" It was the least amount of words that I had ever heard Mr. Freedmont say. Perhaps he sounded so angry because I was in fact unharmed for the most part. "I trust that you have the Allspark" All of the Autobots noticeably stiffened.

"We will not hand over the Allspark fragment. But instead we are willing to exchange ourselves for Faith's freedom" I let out a cry despite the gag. Unable to speak I began violently shaking my head. Somehow I managed to loosen up the cloth in my mouth enough for it to slide down.

"Don't do this!" I called out, pleading with them. "He'll just do to you what they did to the Decepticons. Please, just _go_!" Hot, angry tears were streaming down my face while my captor held me back.

"This isn't a decision for you to make Faith" Optimus said coldly. Then he focused his optics solely on Mr. Freedmont. "Do you accept our proposal?" Mr. Freedmont was quietly contemplating.

"I like that proposition. Very much in fact and I think I'll take it" The older man made a motion with his hands and the same people who had frozen the Decepticons came back out from the shadows. I screamed out and struggled against the tightly bound ropes around my ankles and wrists as well as the man holding me. Soon the Autobots were on their knees and chained to the pier, bound even tighter than I was. None of them cried out or fought, not even Sunstreaker. When the Autobots were completely restrained, Mr. Freedmont cleared his throat.

"But since you backed out of your promise on giving me the Allspark, I'll just have to kill Faith"

"You promised to free her!" Quicksilver yelled as he began struggling. Mr. Freedmont shrugged his shoulders.

"Some would argue that death is the ultimate freedom" he said I was hoisted off of my feet. I began screaming for Quicksilver as I tried to vainly keep from being carried over to the pile of chains and concrete weights. There was a high-pitched sound that I realized in the back of my mind was Quicksilver's cries.

No matter how much Quicksilver and I fought, neither of us were able to stop the chains from being wrapped around my lower legs and attached to the concrete blocks. Mr. Freedmont was standing slightly back, watching on with disappointment. For the most part he ignored the Autobots, all of whom were fighting their restraints. Besides Quicksilver, Optimus was the loudest, demanding that I be released. Finally the older man looked over and called out. The people began spraying the freezing compound all over the Autobots. My cries were drowned out by the pained electronic screams coming from the mechs.

I was so focused on what was happening to the Autobots that I didn't notice when I was tossed over the edge of the pier until I was midair. My breath completely disappeared as I went plummeting, pulled down by the heavy weight of the chains. The fall was so long that I was able to think of the horrible death that awaited me. The water was freezing cold, so cold that I instinctively sucked in a breath. Water began filling my lungs and I let out another breath to get it all of it. Large silver bubbles of precious air began twisting and contorting as they rose to the surface. Complete darkness consumed me and I stopped fighting. There was no use; I was going to die. I let my memories consume my thoughts. Memories of my family, friends, horses. I remembered the first time that I rode Taffy, the time I jumped the stallions the highest that we had ever jumped. I remembered Antony's heart beat and the way he made me feel whenever he smiled with those beautiful dark eyes. I remembered the first time I met Quicksilver and all of the time we had spent together; especially our talks at twilight when the land turned gold with the sun's final burst of light.

With those happy memories came heart wrenching ones. Several images came into my mind; Antony's lifeless body, the sounds of Kobe's pained whimpers after being shot, and the look of horror on Quicksilver's face as he helplessly watched as I was dropped into the ocean. Even though I was sinking lower and lower, my heart rose. I was tired of living in fear and I was never going to let myself ever give up. The Autobots were willing to give Mr. Freedmont their lives and I was not about to disappoint them. I began fighting and straining against my ties, trying to free myself. My lungs were burning with the need for air but I refused to let myself think about it no matter how much my instincts told me to lose control. My gumption doubled as I felt the restraints beginning to slip. With more fighting and twisting and squirming, the ropes and chains unwound. They painfully bit into my flesh, drawing some blood, but I didn't care. I began swimming upward with everything I had. My legs were stiff and felt as if they were made out of stone but kicked them as hard as I could since my wrists were still tied behind my back. I burst through the surface, gasping for air before dipping below the water again. I turned and contorted my body until I was able to unbind the ropes on my wrists. The Autobots' cries were still heard but they seemed to be quieter and slightly muffled. I swam through the freezing water toward the wooden supports that held up the pier. Luckily for me, there were diagonal beams that interconnected the enormous barnacle-encrusted pillars which would allow me to climb to the top. I ignored my screaming muscles and frozen skin as I let an ocean swell push me within reach of one of the beams. With everything I had, I pulled myself from the water. My arms were shaking with the massive effort.

By the time I had climbed all the way up supports and beams, my hands were a bloody mess and burned with pain from the grime and salty water in the wounds. I must have looked like some creature from a horror movie when I let myself collapse on the wooden flooring, hidden behind metal barrels. My whole body was frigid and wet, my long wet hair hanging in strands over my face. With the back of my hand I wiped my hair out of my line of vision. As I caught my breath and allowed my body to rest, I peered around the barrels. The Autobots were almost completely frozen but were still fighting with everything they had. Mr. Freedmont was standing alone and separate from the rest, watching on with a satisfied look plastered on his horrible face and his arms crossed around his chest. Beside him, one of his cronies lay dead. It looked like a laser shot from one of the Autobots had fatally hit him in the abdomen. My eyes locked onto the gun holstered on the dead man's hip. I forced back my inhibitions and crept forward, letting my instincts take total control. No one saw me as I slipped the gun out of the holster and stood up directly behind Mr. Freedmont. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I quickly reached forward and covered the older man's mouth with my bloody hand and pressed the gun into his back. I was too terrified and angry to say something so I let Freedmont turn slightly to see that it was me. His eyes widened in horror and disbelief. Then I changed my position so that we were both looking directly ahead at his people who were completely focused on subduing the Autobots. I had to fight back my emotions at the sight of Quicksilver chained so that he was flat against the ground. Freedmont tried to bolt forward when he felt me loosen my grip at the sight of my Guardian. I actually moved closer to him, peering over his shoulder. Strangely, it was at that moment that I realized that I was actually taller than Freedmont. And stronger. My hand slid from his face, smearing his mouth and clothes with my blood.

"Faith?! This isn't you Faith. Why'd you change from my beloved Faith?"

"It's amazing how a person will change when their loved ones are threatened" I kept the gun's muzzle pressed into Freedmont's back, directly behind his heart. The same exact spot where he had stabbed my Antony. I watched over Freedmont's shoulder as the Cybertronians were being frozen. Their heart wrenching screams were becoming fainter as they were going off-line. Quicksilver was getting the brunt of the human's attack since he was still fighting to get over to where I was tossed into the ocean. But he was losing this fight; his movements become slower and more labored as he was slowly being frozen. He wouldn't stop calling something out in Cybertronian and I recognized that it was my name.

"Let them go" I ordered as I cocked the hammer of the gun. I could feel Freedmont tense up against my body. "_Now_" The older man seemed to deliberate for a second but his natural instinct of survival was more powerful than his hatred for the mechs.

"Stop! Release them!" he called out weakly. When his men didn't hear them, I pushed the gun harder into his back. Freedmont gave the order again, this time louder. The workers immediately ceased. They saw the predicament that their boss was in. With what seemed a bit of relief and fear, they dropped their machinery and eagerly left the pier as they cast wary glances over at the mechs. Money may have bought Freedmont many things but it would never buy him loyalty.

I watched as the ice compound began breaking free from the Autobots and Decepticons. Slowly the Autobots began coming on-line first since the ice compound had already completely frozen the more-threatening Decepticons. I watched my friends while still holding the gun to Freedmont. I knew deep down inside, that as long as Freedmont was alive, he'd be a threat to the Autobots, my family, and me. Resolve settled in. No matter how much I didn't want to, I knew what I had to do.

"This is for hurting my boys" I whispered coldly. The gun shot echoed over the ocean's waters. Freedmont's lifeless body fell to the ground in front of me. Realization of what I had done dawned on me as I stared at the dead man and a sob racked my body. The gun fell from my hand with a dull thud and I began backing up, my eyes wide. I couldn't stop my body from shaking and when I went to cover my face with my hands, I balked at the sight of the blood on them. Not only was Freedmont's blood mixed with my own, but it was all over me. Large metallic footsteps approached but I couldn't tear my eyes from the body.

"Faith" Quicksilver's words were gentle as his cold fingers touched me. "Faith, its okay. You did the right thing"

"I killed him," I said in a disbelieving whisper.

"And you saved us" By then the other Autobots had come over and most of them were kneeling down around me.

"You would have made one hell of an Autobot" Ironhide said with a great amount of pride. Despite the flattering comment, I couldn't look away from Freedmont's body. Without any warning, my knees buckled. Quicksilver adeptly caught me and lifted me up so that I could no longer see Freedmont. My body was still shaking and I gripped his hand, my legs curled beside me. One of his fingers gently rubbed my back as he tried to sooth me.

"You did good, Fay, you did good" My eyes raised up to look at his optics. He had never used that nickname for me, no one ever had, but for some reason it comforted me. While Quicksilver continued to sooth me, I felt something smooth and cold press up against my cheek. One of Optimus' curled fingers was resting against my equally cold skin.

"Thank you Faith. You saved my mechs and myself and that is something we will never forget" I nodded and closed my eyes while Optimus took his finger from my cheek. I closed my eyes, letting myself be calmed down.

"Optimus, permission to speak sir" I heard an unfamiliar voice say.

"Permission granted Prowl"

"The Decepticons, sir, the compound is starting break off" Prowl said in a level tone. As if to emphasize his point, there was a cracking sound and then a crash as the ice shattered to the pier. I opened my eyes and looked over my shoulder. Past the loosely formed ring of Autobots, the frozen Decepticons were beginning to move.

"Slag" I heard Quicksilver mutter lowly. He then smoothly shifted me over to his left hand where the blade menacingly extended while his other hand phased into his gun. The rest of the Autobots brought out their weapons and put themselves into their battle stances facing the Decepticons.

"Looks like we'll be getting that action you wanted Streaker" Sideswipe laughed as Starscream took a stiff step forward, pulling himself from the position he had been frozen into.

"I bet I'll kill more than you Sides" The yellow twin responded.

"Not a fair bet," Ironhide grumbled. "We outnumber them" At that moment, three Decepticons burst from the ramshackle buildings to join their comrades.

"And now we don't" Sideswipe responded with a sadistic tone.

"They must have sent out an emergency call before they were frozen" Prowl stated in a no-nonsense way. Now almost all of the frozen mechs were functioning. Optimus gave the swift order and all of the Autobots advanced, firing massive amounts of volleys. The Decepticons began to instantly fire back.

Quicksilver clutched me to his chassis as he fired, twisting his body to take every precaution to keep me from being hit. I cringed at the gunfire and pressed myself against the metal. It was slowly starting to warm up and I could hear the increasingly louder humming coming from inside Quicksilver. He growled when Barricade came running toward us since my Guardian had purposefully stayed back and away from the fight. With insanely quick reflexes, Quicksilver changed his gun to a fist and completely leveled the Decepticon.

"Aren't you a sniper?" I asked, having to yell over the fighting. Quicksilver looked down at me, his battle mask covering the lower portion of his face. His optics brightened and he began looking around for a safe vantage point to shoot from. He quickly spotted one a top a sturdy concrete building slightly apart from the rest but still extremely close to the portion of the pier where the fighting was taking place. I gasped as Quicksilver jumped onto an old crane fifteen feet from the building. Still holding me to his chassis he scaled the crane. It groaned beneath his weight but held, even as he jumped from the crane onto the building's edge. He griped the edge with his free hand and with his other hand, pushed me onto the solid roof. I stared in complete disbelief as he swung up into a handstand and then lithely somersaulted to his feet on the rooftop. His battle facemask folded back to reveal an enormous cocky smile. Some things would never change.

I watched in silent horrified fascination as the melee took place below us. The port's lights shone brightly on the fighters but there was only moonlight where Quicksilver and I were. My Guardian lowered himself so that he laid flat on his stomach, if he had a stomach that is, at a slight angle so he faced directly towards the fight. Propping himself on his elbows, he seemingly pulled a long rifle out of nowhere. I looked up at his face and saw that he was completely serious and a visor that resembled Jazz's covered his eyes. It was then that I realized that it had been a while since I had seen the playful nature that he always exuded when it had been just the two of us. I wanted all of this to be over so badly so he could finally be himself again and no longer have to be a stern solder 24/7.

Unlike the snipers I saw in the movies, Quicksilver didn't have any sights on his rifle. Instead, he placed his fingers in the holds and I noticed that his visor had taken on a different shade of blue, a color that I couldn't put a name to. Apparently he didn't need any sights on the rifle since he could essentially just plug right into the rifle and somehow take aim through the weapon itself. Before firing, he gently nudged me over so that I was beneath him. I stood beside his right upper arm, my body pressed up against the now warm metal.

"It's about time for you to see what I can really do" my Guardian said with a sneer. The gun made no sound as it warmed up and I jumped as it made a soft 'pffft' sound as plasma shot from it and hit one of the transformed jets who had brought Prowl to the ground. The well-placed shot knocked the Decepticon back which enabled Prowl to nimbly leap to his feet and roundhouse kicked the other mech right over the edge of the pier. The muzzle of Quicksilver's rifle shifted a bit as he took aim at a new target. As my Guardian made short work of his targets, I watched his comrades fighting. The twins were back to back, fighting in such perfect harmony that it was mind blowing. They used each other to their advantage; Sideswipe would duck enabling Sunstreaker to swing a punch over Sideswipe to hit Barricade square in the chassis. Barricade took a stumbling step back only to have Sideswipe kick his legs right out from under him. The twins' strikes came split seconds within each other. Then Sideswipe rose to his feet and the twins grabbed each other's forearms which allowed them to swing each other around and both of them landed powerful kicks to two other Decepticons on either side of them. Right after the kicks, they raised themselves and fired multiple shots into their opponents. Both of the Decepticons were dead with the first shots but Sunstreaker kept firing at the lifeless mech. Sideswipe tried to get him to lay off and that allowed Barricade, who had snuck off after being leveled by Sideswipe, to come back and cut into the twins with a massive saw. I gasped as Sunstreaker screamed out in pain when he shoved Sideswipe out of the way so that the red twin wouldn't be so severely injured by the saw. Quicksilver must have heard my gasp because he took aim at Barricade and shot the black and white mech's saw right off, saving the twins. An explosion caught my attention and I saw that Ironhide had, of course, been the source of it. He was rapidly firing the massive canons on his arms and utterly destroying his target. Prowl had to dodge fire to go over and get Ironhide to stop firing. Then they both went over and began fighting with Optimus against Starscream and another Decepticon. The Autobot leader was the most incredible fighter out of all of them, his movements were fluid, powerful, and measured. While Starscream watched, the other Decepticon had grabbed Optimus' arm but Optimus twisted around flipped the Decepticon over his shoulder and onto the floor. Then the Autobot placed his foot on Decepticon's shoulder and pulled upward until the arm ripped off. I grimaced at the Decepticons pained screams. Ironhide and Prowl arrived at that moment, cornering Starscream. The beige mech looked at his helpless situation and quickly transformed into a jet. Before he got very far, however, Quicksilver shot him down. The beige fighter plane came crashing down into a building, going right through the roof. Prowl and Ironhide dashed into the building; bright lights, Cybertronian curses, and metallic bangs came from the fight from within. There was a loud crash of splintering wood and my head snapped over to the edge of the pier. The twins had once again gotten themselves in over their heads. Sideswipe was barely hanging onto the edge of the pier with Sunstreaker hanging from him. Optimus ran over, impaled the Decepticon who was trying to shoot them off, and pulled the twins up onto the pier. Once they were safe, the Autobot leader hit them both upside the head.

Soon, everything had quieted down. All of the Decepticons were dead except for Starscream, Barricade, and one I didn't know. Those three had run off when they realized that they were losing the fight. Quicksilver's rifle folded in on itself and he placed it onto the back of his shoulder where it became apart of his armor. Then he gingerly picked me up and vaulted over the edge. My Guardian landed with a heavy thud, his free hand steadying himself on the wood before he rose to his full height. The Autobots all gathered together, taking in the damages. Sideswipe muttered something about Ratchet off-lining all of them when they got back.

"That is if Jazz and Bee don't. They're gonna be freak when they found out what kind of action they missed out on" Sunstreaker said with a laugh. Quicksilver settled me on his shoulder and I found myself looking eye-to-optic with Optimus.

"One thing is for sure," the Autobot leader said to me. "There hasn't been a dull moment since we met you"

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you all"

_**Author's Note: Well, there it is! That's the end of the story but I'll be writing an epilogue. Thank you so much to all of my reviewers!!!!!!**_


	22. Epilogue

**_Author's Note: Its time to hear from Quicksilver so all of this is from his point of view._**

Faith was practically skipping, her brunette curls bouncing with every step. I had been waiting for her for several hours in the dirt parking lot, anticipating how she and Pago had done in the riding competition. It had taken all of my and Antony's skills of persuasion to convince her to enter the horse show. I knew she had to show again when she and Terremoto had accidentally jumped Ratchet while he was in his alt mode. (She and I had been racing down the road when Ratchet unexpectedly crossed in front of us. I barely avoided running into the CMO but I was blown away to see Faith cue Terremoto to jump the Hummer. I could have sworn that that horse had some sort of boosters in his hooves the way they had soared over Ratch) Faith and her stallions have such immense talent that it would be ludicrous to not compete and when I found out she hadn't competed since that hideous encounter with that piece of slag Freedmont, I became relentless in convincing her. Finally, Faith gave in and agreed to enter her and Pago into a small horse show two counties from where Ahearn's ranch was situated. It was smaller than the competitions she used to take apart in, but she needed to get back in somewhere. And as she came toward me, I could tell she did well without even having to use my scanners; her green eyes were sparkling and she was wearing an enormous smile. Pago was following behind, his long black mane and tail flowing. My sensors narrowed in on a yellow piece of fabric around the black stallion's neck. On the fabric and resting against his chest was a small gold center-piece that was encircled by intricately folded fabrics that consisted of red, yellow, and blue colors. Long blue pieces of fabric then hung from the center-piece. In the hand that didn't hold Pago's lead rope, Faith held more of those strange objects but they were smaller and were either all blue or all red and didn't have the exceptionally long piece of fabric that could wrap around Pago's neck.

Faith came up to me and peered around to make sure that no one was around to see us. No human was even remotely close and I told her so. Faith was absolutely beaming with happiness and I almost laughed because she looked like she was about to start bouncing up and down. Humans had the most bizarre way of displaying their emotions.

"What are those pieces of fabric?" I asked, not understanding why she seemed so excited over them. Faith laughed, a sound that I would never stop loving even after thousands of years have passed.

"They're ribbons, awards I'm given for doing well. The blue ribbons are for first place and the red ribbons are for second place. And because we won so many ribbons and points, Pago and I won the High-Point Champion which is what the ribbon around Pago's neck is for" In my processor, I had a smile as wide as Faith's. It had taken her several weeks to get over the shock of that night at the port but eventually she realized that she no longer had to live her life in fear. The pure happiness she had now was something that I had never seen in any being that I had ever come across.

"Congratulations Faith" I slowly told her in Cybertronian. Her smile slightly dimmed as a thoughtful expression momentarily crossed her face. Then her smile returned when she translated it.

"Thank you!" I couldn't help but to laugh at her exuberance. She was catching on surprisingly fast to my native language and that made my spark glow with pride for my human. Only the twins knew that she was learning it but that was only because they had made a slagging comment about her and me in Cybertronian when she was around. She promptly told them off, letting them know where exactly they could shove their fragging egos. Their expressions were priceless and I made sure to store a snapshot of their faces in my memory banks. I'm pretty sure that Jazz knew too but he wasn't saying anything about it.

"I have some surprises for you" I told her in English. "Close your eyes and hold still" Faith looked puzzled but she did as she was told. Even when Pago impatiently nudged her with his nose, she held as still as she possibly could. The only parts of her that were moving was her hair gently blowing in the breeze and her chest rising and falling as she breathed. I reveled in the rhythmic sound of her breathing and heartbeat. They were sounds that I always wanted to hear.

As she did as I said, I activated my hologram directly behind her. It was of a male in his late teens and it looked pretty much what I would look like if I were human. A brunette with what was called a buzz cut and a tall, muscular build. It really wasn't any surprise to me that Mikaela told me that my hologram was extremely attractive for humans, earning both her and me a scowl from Sam. I mean, after all, the hologram's features were modeled after my own so it made sense that it was handsome. With Antony's help I made sure that it was wearing the clothes that were in the latest style; a t-shirt with a fashion company's name on the front, then beige cargo shorts, and finally some strange footwear that Antony called flip-flops. The style was a lot different from what Antony and Sam wore but Antony assured me that, for one, Sam had no style which was shown by the boxers with penguins that we would catch glimpses of, and that my style was 'cool ass white Cali boy' while his was 'suave playa that made all of da shawtys swoon'. When the human had said that, I had given him a warning look and growl at his calling himself a 'playa'. Antony was a nice kid but that wouldn't stop me from causing him serious bodily harm if he hurt my Faith. Something told me that he never would but ever since I met Faith I had this strange and extremely strong urge to protect her in every way. Faith called it my 'brotherly instinct'.

The new hologram was bizarre for me since I had asked Ratchet to give it an upgrade. I could now register the human senses of touch, sight, smell, and hearing through it. My true form went into a kind of stasis with a few sensors running to make sure that I'm not caught by surprise since I'd be essentially living through my hologram form. It took me some time to get used to being in two places at once. As my hologram stood behind Faith, I took in what it was like to be on her level. I was still somewhat taller than her but an inch shorter than Antony. For a moment I examined her. She was tall for a human female and her features showed her mixed lineage. Her white show blouse was unbuttoned in the front and I could see her light pink tanktop through the thin fabric of the blouse from where my hologram stood behind her. Her thin and healthy figure was exemplified with the tight-fitting riding leggings and knee high riding boots.

A long drawn out snort came from Pago, grabbed my attention. The Friesian was staring at my hologram with nervous interest. I cautiously reached out my hologram's hand and stroked his nose. My sense of touch was delighted at the silky smooth texture of Pago's nose. The stallion still seemed confused but wasn't as nervous about my hologram.

"Quicksilver?" Faith asked me hesitantly. Several minutes had passed since I had asked her to close her eyes so she was probably wondering what exactly was going on. Instead of answering, I made my hologram take a step forward so that I was less than a foot behind her. My spark flickered as I smelled her fructose cleaning solutions for her hair. I had never been this close to her. My hologram's hands reached in front of her and covered her eyes. I felt her stiffen at my touch and I wished that I had more energy to sustain sensors that could register her.

"Guess who," I said through my hologram. My charge was completely silent and she pulled away. She slowly turned toward my hologram with wide eyes and her mouth open in shock. "Ratchet gave me an upgrade while we were staying at that military base before coming back to the ranch" Faith still stared at my hologram in shock but she didn't seem scared. After she put Pago's lead rope into the hand holding all of the ribbons, she tentatively she reached up and rested her hand on my hologram's cheek. I couldn't help but to let out a sigh in hologram form at the same time as my real self's engine gave a contented rumble. Faith's green eyes carefully examined my face.

"Can you feel through this?" she whispered. I nodded my hologram's head.

"I can feel, see, hear, and smell through it"

"What about you? I mean, the non-hologram you" she asked as she cast a look over her shoulder at my real self.

"It's kind of like…I'm taking a nap. You know how you humans sometimes go on the brink of stasis? That's what its like for me. At least until Ratchet gets the time to give me the energy core upgrade he promised"

"That's crazy" she said flatly which made my hologram laugh. But then she threw her arms around my hologram's neck and gave me a tight hug. For a moment I was taken aback with surprise but then wrapped my hologram's arms tightly around her. I caught another whiff of that strangely pleasant smell of her hair cleaning solutions. My spark was absolutely burning with a flurry of emotions whose meanings I couldn't exactly put a name to. As I held Faith against my hologram's chest I knew that no matter how much I wanted to deny it, Optimus was right; my spark was feeling something more for Faith. And Optimus was right about something else as well. There was no way that Faith and I could be together in the way I wanted us to be. Not only because of the obvious reasons, that we weren't even the same species, but also because of Antony. The teenager loved my Faith more than his very life which he proved several times. He had died for her, what better proof of his love could there be? And what was even more important was that she loved him. So to quell my emotions I just reminded myself that I'd be with her for the rest of her life, always protecting her and being there for her no matter who else comes and/or goes. And if for whatever reason things didn't work out with Antony, which I'd admit I'd have mixed feelings over, then maybe things could change. Until that happened, _if _that happened, then I'd be content with the role of dutiful Guardian.

"You said surpri_ses._ As in plural" Faith coyly reminded me while not breaking our hug. I gathered myself before we pulled apart.

"Aren't you perceptive" I said while my hologram gave a crooked smile. Faith gave me an innocent, but still expectant, look. It still amazed me how expressive she and the other humans were, especially Sam. The way that Bee's boy could be sarcastic and witty with just a single expression and inarticulate noise always made me laugh.

My hologram took Faith's hand and led her and Pago over to my driver's door. I swung it open and my hologram reached in and pulled out an envelope that was sitting on my seat. Faith's eyes narrowed and she gingerly took it from me, unsure of what it was.

"I had to go through a lot of lengths to get this for you but I definitely think it was worth it" I told her. She neatly tore it open and examined the contents.

"Oh my God" she whispered as her eyes began watering with tears. My spark plummeted. This was not the reaction I thought she'd give. Her hand covered her mouth and she was trying to fight off her tears. My hologram pulled her into another hug. As my engine purred comfortingly behind my hologram, I told her how sorry I was. Faith violently pulled away from me, her features shocked and confused.

"Why would you be sorry?! This is the most incredible thing that anyone's ever done for me!" I was more than confused. Her actions were saying that she was distraught but she was telling me that she was ecstatic.

"But you're crying" Faith only confused me even more when she laughed.

"They're good tears Quicksilver, happy tears. Humans cry because we're overwhelmed with emotions and usually those emotions are bad. But those emotions can also be good but they're so overwhelming that we cry"

"I don't think I'll ever be able to understand you" I said with a shake of my hologram's head. I understood her explanation of why she was crying but the more I was around the humans, the more ironies I came across.

"That's what everyone says about me" Faith exclaimed, laughing. Her eyes were swimming with unshed tears but they were also shining with ecstasy. I knew that all of my efforts to have her re-enrolled into the prestigious college she had to drop out of were worth it. Granted, she wouldn't be able to begin until the spring semester but she'd still be going.

"How'd you do it?" Faith asked as she reread the acceptance letter. My hologram shrugged its shoulders.

"Did some research, made a lot of phone calls, and had Lennox or Epps go to the meetings I couldn't go to"

"Thank you so much Quicksilver…this means the world to me" The tears were starting to spill from her eyes but I was taken aback by the way her eyes had changed color. I had never noticed that they could change colors but then again I had never been close enough and the change was subtle. Her normally dark green eyes had lightened and they were a mix of light green and cyan blue streaks; the topaz around her irises had become a stronger tone of gold. They were magnificent.

I was completely taken by surprise when Faith raised herself up to the tips of her toes and gently pressed her soft pink lips against my hologram's cheek. My spark began to absolutely burn. If this is how I felt with just a little kiss, I couldn't imagine how Antony felt when they… I refused to let myself finish the thought. It only made things more awkward for me when Pago impatiently shoved Faith his head and sent her against my hologram's chest. Faith laughed and straightened herself before turning her attention over to Pago. The stallion was shifting his weight and tossed his head. From all of the time that I had spent with the horses I recognized that he wanted to go back to his stall and eat his dinner.

"Can I come with you to get Pago settled?" I asked through my hologram. Faith told me that I could but she seemed puzzled. I quickly explained to her the dynamics of the hologram and the extent of its range. She was still baffled so I tried explaining it better.

"Quicksilver?" she asked, hesitantly interrupting me. "You know how you say you'll never understand me? Well, the hologram thing is something that I don't think I'll ever be able to understand. If I think about it too hard my brain might explode" We both laughed and started walking toward the long row of stalls further inside the showgrounds. Suddenly I felt something smooth press against my hologram's hand. I looked down to see that Faith had given me Pago's lead rope. Neither of us had to mention what a huge honor it was for her to have me lead Pago. The whole entire time that I had been at Ahearn's ranch, I had never seen anyone beside Faith take care of her horses. Not even Ahearn or Antony other than when they feed them as a favor for Faith.

It hadn't taken long for Faith to get Pago settled. I visited with the massive stallion, at least massive from my hologram's point of view, and I could really see why Faith loved these beings so much. They were so strong and at the same time they were gentle. Pago had such a presence about him but that presence had peacefulness to it. While Faith puttered around I asked as many questions as I could about Pago and horses. Not only was I curious but I also needed to distract my charge as much as possible since the other humans were back at Ahearn's ranch setting up Faith's surprise party. The moment Mikaela found out about the college acceptance, the female teen immediately began planning for a party. I helped Faith pack her and Pago's things to get ready for the morning when she'd be taking Pago back to the ranch with the horse trailer pulled by that slagging piece of machinery she bought. I still didn't understand why she felt like she had to go out and buy a truck. She had me and if she needed to trailer the horses anywhere, I knew that Ironhide would do it. The Weapons Specialist wouldn't be overjoyed with being used like a common Earth vehicle but I'd make him do it anyway.

After Faith bid Pago good night and made sure he was as comfortable as possible, we began walking down the row of stalls. The other horses in their stalls seemed apprehensive about my hologram but the humans we passed only seemed to take notice that an extremely handsome man was walking by. I muttered something about that to Faith and earned an elbow in my hologram's ribs that actually kind of hurt. I was surprised with how strong Faith was, at least with my hologram.

"You know, I think you have a bigger ego than Sunstreaker" she muttered. My hologram gave her a slightly insulted look.

"Hey, I'm self-confident, not egotistical" That earned a disbelieving snort from Faith.

"Like there's a difference" she said as I opened my driver's door for her. Reluctantly I deactivated my hologram. No matter how much I liked the hologram, the program drained my energy and Ratchet had warned me against using it too much. My engine roared to life and I slowly headed through the dirt parking lot.

"I'm self-confident which means that I have a healthy self-esteem. Streaker, on the other hand, just has an overblown ego"

"That does nothing to prove your point" Faith said as she placed her ribbons and letter on my passenger seat.

"Streaker goes out of his way to make sure that he looks good every moment but I don't do that"

"Quicksilver, why are you driving so slow?" Faith asked me with a smile. She had placed her hands on my wheel to pretend she was driving.

"Because I don't want to get dirt on my-" I cut myself short when I realized that I just proved Faith right. With an enormous roar of my engine, I accelerated through the dirt parking lot. Clouds of dust billowed everywhere, covering me in a thin layer of dust. Faith was laughing hysterically and she had to somewhat struggle to keep her balance as I swerved onto the dirt lane that led out of the showgrounds. I practically flew down the lane and then onto the paved road. I even made sure to drive through a massive puddle when I saw it. Faith wouldn't stop laughing. I upped the pace merging onto the highway since we were practically the only ones on it. I earned angry glares and honks from passing drivers but I could really care less. It had been a while since I was really able to test my alt form's speed.

It wasn't until we were passing through the town outside of the ranch that I realized that I had gone way too fast. When I communicated to Bee about our approach he told me that Mikaela was freaking out. Apparently she needed more time and my little race didn't exactly help her. So to kill some time, as the humans would say, we went through a gas station's car wash. I'm _never_ going to do that again. I don't care if Faith says I have a big ego or if I have to hack into an ATM to get the money, I'm going to nothing less than the auto detailers. I actually felt violated by that slagging car wash. When I grumbled to Faith about that, she laughed so hard that she had trouble breathing.

"There's no difference!" My engine roared with annoyance when she said that. Oh, there was a difference all right. Next time she says she needs to take a shower I'll spray her down with a hose and when she starts complaining I'll tell her that there isn't a difference. No difference my aft.

Everything was quiet when we pulled into the ranch. Faith looked around curiously and I knew that she instantly figured that something was going on. She gathered her ribbons and letter before exiting from me. I transformed next to her, making sure that none of my transformations were too close. I followed her to the stable and patiently waited as she went inside. There was a flurry of activity as she bolted out, no longer holding the ribbons or letter. I used my best acting skills and asked her what was wrong. The only answer I received was a half mumbled question of where her horses were at. I crouched down and laid my hand flat out in front of her.

"Let's check the pastures" I offered. She climbed up onto my hand and I lifted her up to my shoulder. I jogged over to the pastures, making sure my movements were as smooth as possible so Faith wouldn't be jarred. When I stepped over the fence, I placed her down. She let out a whistle that called Taffy and was answered by a neigh. The little mare came loping from around a hill and when she spotted Faith, Taffy let out another neigh and began eagerly galloping towards us. Taffy skidded to a stop a few feet away. Faith reached out and gingerly touched the incomplete wreath of flowers hanging from Taffy's neck. My charge looked up at me, not needing to voice her questions. I shrugged my shoulders, feigning ignorance. Just then, there was a mad rush of barking. Faith dropped to her knees just as Kobe slammed into her. The Doberman began attacking her with his slobbery tongue and I watched contentedly, happy that Ratchet was able to help Kobe's recovery along. It had only been two months since the young dog had been shot and already he was able to run around chasing lasers. Again, Faith was puzzled about the collar of flowers around Kobe's neck. The Doberman then started trotting back towards the hill, looking over his shoulder at us expectantly. Faith followed with Taffy and I close behind.

Faith literally yelped when she saw what was on the other side of the hill. Mikaela had really gone all out. Beneath the oak tree that was wrapped with twinkling lights, there was a table with a wide assortment of food. From the boughs of the tree hung a banner reading 'Congratulations' and a paper table cloth with confetti was on top of the table. The old droid Prowl was standing guard beside the table of food with warning optics locked on the twins. Faith seemed blown away at the surprise and she was staring in awe at our surroundings even as she was being hugged by the other humans.

"This is so incredible but…why are you doing it?" she stammered as she saw the stallions, all except Pago, grazing in the grass. Spitfire had ambled over to Taffy was contentedly eating her incomplete wreath.

"Because you've been through so much and it's amazing how you not only got back into the show ring but how you totally kicked ass. And then on top of that, you're going back to _UCLA_" Mikaela explained. The two girls hugged each other, Faith thanking all of us.

"Yeah, I don't think they would have reaccepted just _anyone_" Sam added as he was about to take as swig from his water bottle. Before he could, however, Bee stopped him. The scout used observance lasers to examine the contents of the bottle to make sure nothing had been added. With a nod of approval Bee let Sam take a drink.

"Are you going to do that every time I drink?" Sam asked in an exasperated tone.

"As long as those two are around" Bee's answer caused a few snickers to come from Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. An angry glare from me made them offline their vocal processors.

I had never been to a human party but it was something that I definitely wanted to experience again. Jazz played music from his radio while everyone hung out. Antony and Sam gluttonously devoured the food and frankly I had no idea where they put it all. After stuffing themselves, they joined Faith, Mikaela, Bee, Jazz, the twins, and I so the humans could show us how to do this dance that went along with a popular song on the radio. Jazz caught on immediately and began adding his own flourish to the dismay of his charge since Antony had pronounced himself the ultimate dancer. The two were really getting into showing who really was the better dancer when they were interrupted with a cacophony of yelping. Kobe barreled into Faith, whimpering and his docked tail trying to tuck between his legs as he stared in fear at the rhinestone wearing Chihuahua. On our way back to Ahearn's ranch, Sam had swung by his house and picked up the rodent he called Mojo. I had had an intimate moment already with the spawn-from-the-Pit after he lubricated on me. I almost let Sunstreaker take him out but then I would have had to deal with Bee. Despite the fact that Kobe was from the same species, the Doberman seemed utterly confused by his much smaller cousin. The youthful dog was happy by the presence of another dog at least until Mojo apparently decided that he had had enough of Kobe's pointy nose jabbing him. Even after Kobe was hiding behind Faith, the little embodiment of Cujo came chasing after the much larger dog with sharp little teeth bared. Faith yelled at Sam to get Mojo to quit it but the teenaged boy was laughing too hard to do anything but hold his sides and keep from collapsing on the ground. That was when Antony came walking over and tried to grab Mojo by the scruff of the neck. The Chihuahua would have none of that though and promptly bit Antony on the hand. Jazz's charge let out a wail and a flood of profanity, some of which he picked up from Jazz. The lieutenant just chuckled and watched while avoiding meeting Prowl's accusing glares.

It was late in the night when things began calming down. Ahearn and the older mechs had left to go back to the ranch house, leaving us younger mechs and the humans out in the pasture. We were all sitting beside the oak tree, the twinkling lights and moon offering the perfect amount of light. I was propped up on my elbows with Kobe curled up on my torso since the Doberman refused to go anywhere near the ground where Mojo still patrolled.

"Do you need any help Faith?" Sideswipe casually asked. Faith just glared at him from the corner of her eye, not bothering to respond as she and Mikaela continued cleaning. She was still infuriated with the fact that the twins had registered themselves in her name. It wasn't necessarily that she was mad that they were registered to her, just how she found out. A few days before she had received a hefty fine with a combined total of a thousand dollars for her two Lamborghinis being ticketed for speeding and reckless driving. Optimus was letting Prowl think of a suitable punishment and the tactician was still pondering, which was an extremely bad sign for the twins.

"Don't bother trying to get back on her good side, you're still slagged" I told them in my native language which earned a smirk from Faith. They both glared at me and then sulked off back towards the ranch house. Probably to program their last requests. I watched them with a smirk before looking over to see how it was coming with the clean up. My optics focused on Faith who had Antony's arms wrapped around her waist. Her partner was whispering something to her which was making her smile. Then he turned her around and gave her a quick kiss before they thought anyone noticed them. It was no secret to everyone that they were back together but I knew that they were trying to keep everything quiet. This was something that I could at least be thankful for.

"Quicksilver?" I hadn't even noticed Faith come up to me, I was so deep in thought. Everyone was heading back towards the ranch house, except for Faith. "I'm not ready to go to bed, so do you wanna walk around a bit?" I smiled and went to reach for Kobe to put him down. The Doberman squirmed, not wanting to be close to Mojo but the evil Chihuahua was restrained in Sam's arms as they headed back. Kobe practically welded himself to Faith's side so he gave a distraught whimper when I placed Faith on my shoulder. I began walking through the pasture while Faith gazed up at the night sky covered with twinkling stars. The horses stayed in the pasture, happily grazing in the warm summer night air. Kobe dashed around as much as his still healing injuries would allow. Faith and Ratchet had already given up hope on getting the dog to take it easy so he was allowed to do pretty much whatever he pleased. After dealing with the young dog, Ratchet gained another level of patience with the rest of us and especially with the twins.

"Do you believe in destiny?" Faith whispered, her body easily moving along with the movements of my shoulder as I walked. I cocked my head slightly in her direction. I wasn't exactly sure how to respond since we didn't really have a concept of fate or destiny. "I do" Faith continued. "I think it was fate that we met. I'm not sure if it was an act of God or Primus or some sort of higher power but I'm not going to question it because I can't imagine my life without you" My spark began glowing more fiercely with what she said.

"I'll always be here" I reassured her. This time I was going to keep that promise.

"I know. Cuz if you leave I'll kick your ass…or aft…or whatever you have" I couldn't help but to laugh at the image of her trying to beat me up.

"Hey, I'm tough!" she said laughingly.

"Oh trust me, you've already proven that" I genuinely told her.

We were quiet for the rest of the walk. It wasn't an uncomfortable kind of silence but rather the kind that just didn't need to be filled. When I felt Faith leaning against my helmet more than she would if she were more awake, I turned and headed toward the road that led back to the house. By the time we reached the road my sensors began picking up that she was falling into recharge so I gently picked her up from my shoulder and stood her on the ground. I transformed, leaving my top lowered, and swung my doors open for Faith and Kobe. Faith practically fell into my driver's seat while Kobe tried his best to curl his body into my passenger seat which wasn't exactly designed for him. The Doberman went into the most bizarre position with his rear end basically hanging off the seat and his head, chest, and front legs stretched across my console. Faith's eyelids were slowly lowering and she had one arm outside of my rolled down window, her fingers curled against the outside of my door. Her cheek was pressed against my leather seat and I could feel her soft breaths.

"I love you Quicksilver" she murmured as she drifted off to sleep. "You're the best friend that I've ever had"

"I love you too Faith" I whispered back in my native language as I let my purring engine lull her to sleep. I drove smoothly back to the house, taking my time. With the sensors that I didn't need to navigate the road, I focused on the starry night sky off in the horizon in front of us. Out of all the stars and planets out there, I was glad that fate had brought me to this beautiful planet and to my Faith.

_**The End**_

_**Author's Note: Just a little what-not note, stallions and mares absolutely can't be left alone together and normally stallions can't even have contact with other horses period. But this is my story so I decided to change it up a bit.**_

_**Author's Note II: Wow, I can't believe its over! This is the first story that I've ever finished and I'm really, really happy with the ending. I hope that everyone enjoyed it and I'm so thankful for all of the readers. I'm also very thankful to beesting08, Elita One, Fk306 animelover, inuyasha999, Gothic-Fire-Wolf, Xobit, Prime Revolver, lysia1982, FORD B (many thanx to you FORD B!!!), Kiseki no Tenshi, AyameKitsune, Silveromance, Casseiopeia1979 (lol, I loved your input), Elvin BlueEyes, whitedino, Autobot, Neko of Light, plunger02, Xade, i-love-me-some-leggypoo, crazyroninchic, DeltaGamma Liv, Shadowninja181, flamingmarsh, and Oak Tree Woman. I'm sorry if I misspelled some of the names or accidentally skipped over someone.**_

_**So if anyone has any ideas for me for a sequel, if ya'll want a sequel, then let me know! It may be a long time (seriously a long time, like not until December or something) but I'd try my best to write it. Something that would help me out a lot towards writing a sequel is if I get some overall feedback on Keeping Faith. Like how did you like the plot, what were your favorite parts, what were your least favorite parts, what were your favorite of my OCs, did I portray the characters correctly, etc. Hope everyone enjoyed reading Keeping Faith as much as I enjoyed writing it!!!!**_

_**Goldendreams**_


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